WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3576/98 by Concepció FERRER Ratification of ILO Convention 177 on homeworking
11. 10. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 289/63 The decision refers to a proposal reportedly being drafted by the Commission to introduce a general requirement to report the transport of cash across the Union’s internal borders. Is it true that the Commission is drafting such a proposal and, if so, is it not contrary to the principles relating to the free movement of capital? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (14 December 1998) The Commission has no plans at the moment to propose a requirement to report the transport of cash across Member States’ borders. However, the subject is covered in the forty recommendations of the financial task force on money laundering (FATF). FATF is an intergovernmental body which aims to develop and promote policies to combat money laundering. All Member States and the Commission belong to FATF. Recommendation 22 of the forty recommendations states that ‘to facilitate detection and monitoring of cash transactions, without impending in any way of freedom of capital movements, members could consider the feasibility of subjecting all cross-border transfers, above a given threshold, to verification, administrative monitoring, declaration or record keeping requirements’. A number of Member States also have controls with these purposes today, in line with this recommendation. (1999/C 289/083) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3576/98 by Concepció Ferrer (PPE) to the Council (1 December 1998) Subject: Ratification of ILO Convention 177 on homeworking On 27 May 1998 the Commission adopted a communication recommending that Member States ratify Convention 177 on homeworking. Ratification involves accepting a series of obligations designed to improve the situation of workers engaged in this form of work and a regular review of domestic policy with regard to homeworking, which will enable improvements to be made to the working conditions of these workers. Bearing in mind that 6,9 million people in the EU, or 4,9 % of the EU’s working population, work from home and that thus far Finland is the only Member State to have ratified the convention, what measures does the Council intend to adopt to ensure that the other Member States follow suit? Reply (29 March 1999) The Council is informed that Convention No 177 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), to which the Honourable Member refers, has so far been ratified by only one Member State of the European Community, i. e. Finland. As no other State has ratified the Convention, it has not yet entered into force. On 26 May 1998 the Commission did indeed adopt a Recommendation addressed to the Member States to encourage them to ratify the Convention. Member States were asked to notify the Commission no later than November 1999 of the measures they had taken in response to the Recommendation. Once the deadline laid down by the Recommendation, i. e. December 1999, has expired, the Commission will decide whether it wishes to take any further steps on the subject