WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1383/98 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI to the Commission. Training in specialized medicine
C 402/122 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 22. 12. 98 practices that the Commission considers that banks should apply in order to facilitate the smooth introduction of the euro. Regarding payments and conversion of accounts the Commission recommends the conversion without charges of incoming and outgoing payments during the transitional period, and accounts into euro unit during the transitional period and at the end of it. The current situation indicates that a large majority of banks will follow these recommended practices even in the absence of legislative measures. The Commission is not aware of any intention of the Italian ministry of treasury to impose charges on compulsory conversions. The Commission intends to monitor the implementation by the banks of the recommended standard of good practice and for that purpose it has requested the banking associations to report to the Commission by 1 November 1998 on the implementation by their members. Concerning the redenomination of public debt, the Commission recommended the use of a bottom up technique with redenomination taking place at the level of the individual bond or at the level of individual holdings. Redenominating at the level of individual holdings will generate less rounding. Thus discrepancies between the total issue and the sum of individual converted holdings will be smaller than between the total issue and the sum of individual converted bonds. The decision on the redenomination technique is up to the Member States which decide taking into account all aspects of the redenomination process, including the functioning of the settlement and trading systems, with the aim to realise the redenomination in the most efficient manner. Italy has decided to redenominate following the technique recommended by the Commission starting at the level of individual bonds. It has to be pointed out that the redenomination technique envisaged by the Italian authorities which is based on conversion of the minimum lots and on a redenominated unit par value of one cent, does not necessarily affect the bondholders negatively. Indeed the result for the investor can be positive or negative depending on the conversion rate and on the amount of the minimum lot. Moreover even in case of rounding downwards the effect will be very limited for the bondholder as it would account as a maximum for half a cent per lot. (98/C 402/161) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1383/98 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (7 May 1998) Subject: Training in specialized medicine The Italian laws governing training in specialized medicine (DL 257/91) define a doctor training to be a specialist as a student rather than a worker. Consequently, these doctors are unable to benefit from the provisions of Article 24 of Directive 93/16/EEC of 5 April 1993 (1) to facilitate the free movement of doctors and the mutual recognition of their diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal qualifications, which stipulates that the training must entail áthe personal participation of the doctor training to be a specialist in the activity and in the responsibilities of the establishments concernedí. 1. What is the Commissionís opinion of the fact that: (a) these doctors are actually employed to replace permanent staff at university health centres and approved hospitals, in many cases providing independent specialized services (despite the fact that they have not yet obtained their specialistís qualification) and in other cases simply carrying out nursing duties, in accordance with the needs of the establishment to which they have been assigned by their school? (b) no certificate is awarded for the training curriculum followed by doctors training to be specialists, placing them at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in other Member States? 2. After making the necessary checks, what measures will the Commission take to correct these anomalies, which penalize Italian medical specialists? (1) OJ L 165, 7. 7. 1993, p. 1