WRITTEN QUESTION E-0840/00 by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Unemployment rate in Greece.
21. 11. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 330 E/219 Will the Commission say: 1. Is it aware of this matter? 2. Why have the three series of educational books which have been assessed and approved not yet been printed and distributed to pupils and teachers? 3. Why has Ministerial decision C2 6201 not yet been implemented? 4. Why has it been decided to reprint provisional textbooks, rather than use textbooks which have already been approved? Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (18 April 2000) In the framework of the operational programme on education and initial vocational training, the European social fund (ESF) co-funds actions for the reform of curricula and the modernisation of educational material. According to the structural funds regulations, the Member States are responsible for the implementation of the programmes. According to information provided to the Commission by the Greek ministry of Education which is in charge of the implementation of the programme in question, with decision C2/6201/31. 12. 99, the ministry approved and decided to proceed with the printing and use of new educational material for chemistry for the Integrated Lyceum (i. e. textbooks for the students, textbooks for the teachers, laboratory guide, transparencies). However, the above material was not ready in time to be printed and used in the school year 2000-2001. Therefore, the reprinting of the old textbooks was asked, so that they will be available for the school year 2000-2001. The reprinted old textbooks will be used in the future as alternative textbooks. (2000/C 330 E/255) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0840/00 by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission (21 March 2000) Subject: Unemployment rate in Greece On 4 January 2000 Eurostat, the EUís statistics service, published very interesting data (Bulletin No 1/2000) on the unemployment rates for men and women in the EU. These data cover the period from November 1997 to November 1999 and refer to men and women below 25 years of age and above 25 years of age. It is noteworthy that no data whatsoever are given concerning Greece, although detailed information is given for all the other EU countries, as well as for the USA and Japan. Will the Commission say whether the Greek authorities have forwarded data on the unemployment rate in Greece and, if not, what reasons they have invoked for their failure to do so and what measures the Commission services have taken, if any, to obtain information on the unemployment rate in Greece? Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission (12 April 2000) The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written question E-0338/00 by Mr Alavanos (1). (1) See page 131