WRITTEN QUESTION E-0489/00 by Brigitte Langenhagen (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Implementation of the Leonardo da Vinci vocational training programme.
21. 11. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 330 E/173 presented by the Honourable Member is not supported by the information provided in the study on exhaustion carried out for the Commission by the NERA research institute in London. 3. The Commission considers the phenomenon of counterfeiting and piracy to be a serious problem. The possible impact of exhaustion regimes on this problem has to be analysed carefully. The Commission has so far not received any information on the possible impact of a ban on parallel imports. The question of the possible impact of a change in exhaustion regime on employment is still under 4. discussion and it is too early to draw any conclusion from this discussion. 5. The Honourable Member has raised an interesting and important question concerning the possible impact of e-commerce on the exhaustion issue. The Commission is currently studying this question as a priority issue. 6. The Commission staff paper lists several different options to change the current exhaustion regime. One of them is to raise this question at a bilateral or multilateral level with third countries. Whether or not the issue of exhaustion should be raised in the forthcoming World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations will be examined when the Commission defines its position on the exhaustion question. (1) SEC(1999) 2033. (2) See page 139. (2000/C 330 E/197) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0489/00 by Brigitte Langenhagen (PPE-DE) to the Commission (24 February 2000) Subject: Implementation of the Leonardo da Vincií vocational training programme It sometimes happens that the way in which the participation of young students in the Leonardo da Vincií programme is organised gives cause for complaint. Specifically, an exchange of architecture students taking their diploma examination (College of Higher Education) was set to begin on 1 January 2000 but was postponed until July. This obviously disrupts the career plans of those young people and causes great disappointment not only with the national partners, but also with the European Institutions. Could the Commission therefore answer the following questions: 1. When will the programmes be cleared for publication by partners in the Member States? 2. How is it possible that candidates have already been recruited and nominated, even though the programme is still at the approval stage? 3. Will the start of the various programmes or measures be set by the Commission or by the partners in the Member States responsible for their publications? 4. Will there be compensation for the lost half-year? 5. The candidates were counting on participating in the programme. They now face a break in their career. How does the Commission plan to support those disappointed candidates whose participation is no longer possible because of the delay? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (3 April 2000) 1. Under the first phase of the Leonardo da Vinci programme (1995-1999), placement and exchange programmes for students and young graduates were selected through an annual selection procedure following a call for proposals. Programme promoters and partners can announce traineeships on receipt of confirmation from the Commission that their programme has been approved. C 330 E/174 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 21. 11. 2000 Traineeships can be announced by the potential promoter or partners before the programme has 2. been accepted, provided it is made clear that they are subject to acceptance of the programme by the Commission. 3. Under the first phase of Leonardo da Vinci, the programmes mentioned in paragraph 1 generally began on 1 December. They usually run for two years and placements have an average duration of six months. 4. The promoter, beneficiary and the sending and host organisations enter into a binding agreement on participation in a placement or exchange programme. It is not the Commissionís responsibility to provide compensation. The Commission can only offer financial support to participants in a placement or exchange 5. programme. (2000/C 330 E/198) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0492/00 by Luis Berenguer Fuster (PSE) and Fernando PØrez Royo (PSE) to the Commission (24 February 2000) Subject: Statements made by Commissioner Monti in Spain concerning state aid granted by the Spanish Government One of the undertakings given by the Prodi Commission was that the European Parliament would be notified of agreements and decisions before the press was informed. During Mr Montiís appearance before the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, we asked for information concerning the issue of the CTCs (costs of transition to competition) of the Spanish electricity companies. As time was short, the Commissioner stated that he would reply to the question in writing. To date, no response has been received. On 4 February Commissioner Monti travelled to Madrid where he met with members of the Spanish Government. Afterwards, he held a press conference, during the course of which he gave certain information on this issue, before the European Parliament was informed. Some of the information given ü possibly distorted by the Spanish Government ü implied a certain degree of agreement between the report of the independent expert and the position of the Spanish Government. This information is at odds with the views expressed by officials in the Commissionís Directorate-General for Competition, according to whom the conclusions of the independent report differ from the estimates of the Spanish Government áon four pointsí, which would imply a ásubstantial reduction in the figureí. In addition, the Commissioner himself ü according to press reports at least ü intends to investigate the issue, which hardly squares with the triumphalist interpretation of the Spanish Government. On what points does the independent expertís report differ from the estimates of the Spanish Government? On what points does the report differ from the estimates of the Spanish Electricity Commission? Will a copy of the report be provided to the European Parliament? On what factors is the Spanish Government basing its assumption that the Commission will find in its favour? Does Commissioner Monti consider that he has fulfilled the undertaking to inform Parliament before the press? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (28 March 2000) The consultantís mandate was to check that the assumptions taken as a basis by the Spanish authorities to calculate the ácosts of transition to competitioní (CTCs) complied with internationally recognised standards; it was not to calculate all admissible CTCs anew. Thus, a comparison cannot be made between the consultantís report and the report drawn up by the Comisión Nacional del Sistema ElØctrico. As was stated in the answer to Written Question E-348/00 by Ms Diez Gonzalez (1), the Commission is studying the results of the assessments and has requested the Spanish authorities to provide additional information. As regards the questions which were put the Commission with responsibility for to the Member of competition at the meeting of the Economic and Monetary Committee held on 11 January 2000 and to which he could not reply for want of time, the Commission would point out that, as agreed at that meeting, the Economic and Monetary Committee on 24 February 2000. it sent a written answer to the chair of