WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1595/98 by Caroline JACKSON to the Commission. Technical standards for electrical surveillance equipment
C 13/50 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 1. 1999 The additional information work carried out independently by the delegations is produced for a local public in the relevant national language and does not necessarily require translation into one, several or all official languages of the Community. Discrimination against German-speaking groups abroad is neither intended nor implied: these groups usually speak the language in question and translations are not provided for minorities from other member states either. Where a German-speaking group is targeted in particular, the relevant material is produced in German. (1999/C 13/070) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1594/98 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (25 May 1998) Subject: Progress of sub-programme 3 of the programme to combat social exclusion in Greece According to Ministry of Justice statistics, 40 % of prisoners in Greek jails are foreign nationals who have diverse ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds. This situation has developed in cramped conditions in the prisons which breed belligerence and violence between groups and individuals, putting the rights of prisoners at risk on a daily basis. Measure 1 of sub-programme 3 of the programme to combat social exclusion in Greece, which concerns prisoners, ex-prisoners and young offenders, has a low funding take-up rate of 10 %. Will the Commission say what the main reasons are for the low take-up rate of funding for the programme and what measures it will take to advance the programme on schedule? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (10 July 1998) The objectives of measure 3. 1 Prisoners, ex-prisoners, young delinquentsí, which has total funding of 38,2 MECU, of which the European social fund contribution is 28,6 MECU, are linked to the more general objectives of the operational programme Combating exclusion from the labour marketí, 1994-1999 Community support framework for Greece. In the case of prisoners, the intervention aims, in particular, at creating the conditions for their integration or re-integration into the official labour market. Foreign prisoners could benefit from the operational programme provided that they are legal residents of the Member States. According to recent data from the Greek ministry of Labour, the absorption rate of the 1994-1997 measure in relation to the 1994-1999 relevant budget is approximately 14 %. The low take-up is mainly associated with the overall operational programme implementation problems encountered in the 1994-1997 period › the innovative approach, lack of appropriate administrative and support structures, lack of implementing agencies and accreditation shortcomings. Moreover, changes in the prison status of the target group in question, such as transfers and early release, render more difficult the implementation of schemes. Following the re-establishment of the accreditation system and the recent reprogramming aimed at simplifying the operational programme structure and procedures whilst maintaining the programmeís objectives and approach, more effective action implementation is expected. (1999/C 13/071) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1595/98 by Caroline Jackson (PPE) to the Commission (25 May 1998) Subject: Technical standards for electrical surveillance equipment Is there any EU technical standard in existence which would safeguard heart pace-makers in the vicinity of electrical surveillance equipment (store security tags, CCTV, etc. ), and if not, does the Commission see the need for such a standard?