WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2895/98 by Susan WADDINGTON to the Commission. Use of EC food surpluses for emergency overseas food aid
C 118/162 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 4. 1999 (1999/C 118/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2895/98 by Susan Waddington (PSE) to the Commission (28 September 1998) Subject: Use of EC food surpluses for emergency overseas food aid What percentage of the total EC foodstuff intervention stocks held in 1997 were distributed as overseas emergency food aid? What foodstuffs were involved and which countries were the recipients? What are the Commissionís plans for such assistance in 1998 given the present situation in the Sudan and other similar crisis areas? Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (13 November 1998) Since 1986, management of the food aid policy of the Community has been carried out within the framework of Community development policy with a view to improving the food security situation of the intended beneficiaries, independent of the existence or otherwise of surpluses of agricultural products. Within this overall policy framework, food aid provision is funded from the Community food aid budget, managed by the Commission. Food aid may additionally be provided, in emergency situations, by the Commission through the European Community humanitarian office (ECHO). In 1997 no food aid was provided from intervention stocks. In 1998 so far, one allocation of 10 000 tonnes of rice has been provided from intervention stocks. The rice was provided for use in the Democratic Peopleís Republic of Korea. So far in 1998, the Commission has provided nearly 38 000 tonnes of food aid to Sudan from the Community food aid budget. The food aid, valued at over ECU 35 million, was provided through the United Nations World food programme and international non-governmental organisations. In addition, the Commission is currently in the process of seeking final approval for a decision to allocate a further ECU 10 million for the World food programme. This is on top of the ECU 21,8 million already provided this year for other programmes in the health, water and nutritional sectors. (1999/C 118/202) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2904/98 by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission (2 October 1998) Subject: Information for job seekers Can the Commission indicate which Member States provide job seekers with information about job vacancies in countries other than their own? In what form is that information made available in Job Centres? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (23 October 1998) There are a number of ways in which job seekers can look for work in other Member States and find such vacancies in job centres. One of the most important of these is the European employment services (EURES) network which was established in 1993 and which aims to facilitate the free movement of workers. This network is a partnership of all the public employment services of the Union and the European Economic Area, and the Commission. The individual employment services exchange selected vacancies via a computer system operated by the Commission and these vacancies are displayed in most job centres throughout the 17 countries concerned. Around 10 000 vacancies are available at any given time and are updated daily. The vacancies are also available on the EURES Internet website, whose address is http://europa. eu. int/jobs/eures