WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3527/97 by Kirsi PIHA to the Commission. Leaking of information about the Commission's Agenda 2000 programme before its official publication
25. 5. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 158/141 The main themes set out in the Dearing report, which can be expected to resurface in a forthcoming White Paper, are not exclusive to the United Kingdom. Guaranteeing the quality and appropriateness of fundamental research, ensuring that similar value is attached in universities to achievements in teaching as well as in research, allowing for sufficient administrative costs in research, modernizing equipment and securing the participation of industry are tasks facing all the governments of the European Union and of other advanced economies. Can the Council provide information on reforms and studies › similar to those described above for the United Kingdom › now in progress in Europe, the United States and Japan? Answer (26 January 1998) The Council keeps careful track of developments in education systems in the European Community, particularly through the studies conducted by the Commissionís DG XXII, including those produced by or with the support of the Eurydice European Unit and its network. However, it is not the Councilís task to provide information on initiatives taken in the field of education by the Governments of Member States or third countries. The Council would also point out that everything connected with the organization and structure of higher education systems is the exclusive responsibility of the Member States (see Article 126(1) of the EC Treaty). (98/C 158/185) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3527/97 by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission (12 November 1997) Subject: Leaking of information about the Commissionís Agenda 2000 programme before its official publication Commissioner Van den Broekís answer of 1 October 1997 to my written question E-2669/97 (1) was unsatisfactory because it totally failed to deal with the central point of my question, namely the problem of information leaks. The Commissioner himself was present at the EPP Group meeting last July, the evening before the publication of the Agenda 2000 document, at which he categorically refused to comment on the substance of the document on the grounds of its confidentiality. However, very detailed information had already been transmitted the same day in all the mass media, e. g. on which countries were at the top of the Commissionís list. In view of the above I should like to put a follow-up question (in fact the same question to which I did not receive an answer the first time): What action does the Commission propose to take to clarify how and why detailed information on the substance of the opinions on individual countries has leaked prior to publication? (1) OJ C 102, 3. 4. 1998, p. 86. Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (11 December 1997) The Commission set out in Reply to the Honourable Memberís previous question the efforts it made to ensure that Parliament was informed first about Agenda 2000, right after the Commission formally presented the individual opinions to the ambassadors of the candidate countries. Unfortunately leaks cannot always be avoided, despite the Commissionís best efforts. Such leaks are damaging, not only to the Commission but also to other interested parties and the Commission regrets possible embarrassment which was caused