WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2409/98 by Joan COLOM I NAVAL to the Commission. Commission presence in Macao
8. 4. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 96/87 (1999/C 96/121) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2397/98 by Heidi Hautala (V) to the Commission (27 July 1998) Subject: Position of midwives The work of midwives has a long tradition in Finnish maternity care. Nowadays practice has changed. Women are not in the care of a midwife throughout pregnancy, but often encounter one for the first time when soon to give birth. Midwives are not allowed to work in maternity advice centres, which restricts their scope to exercise their profession. The ádistrict nursingí (Fi. väestövastuu) system has meant that one nurse/health care officer may have only a few pregnant women per year in her care. This puts at risk the preservation of professional skills, and entails the danger that problematic or high-risk pregnancies may not be recognised. The training of midwifery students in the care of pregnant women is not provided by midwives, and consequently Directive 80/155/EEC (1) is not being applied in Finland. What measures does the Commission propose to take to ensure that these problems are eliminated and this directive applied in Finland? (1) OJ L 33, 11. 2. 1980, p. 8. Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (22 September 1998) The Commission is not aware of the problems mentioned by the Honourable Member. They do not appear, however, to infringe Council Directive 80/155/EEC of 21 January 1980 concerning the coordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action relating to the taking-up and pursuit of the activities of midwives. As regards the fact that midwifery training is not entrusted to a midwife in Finland, Directive 80/155/EEC does not stipulate which professional has to be responsible for such training. Accordingly, this is a matter exclusively for the Member State concerned. As for the other problems mentioned, they too do not appear to be at variance with the Directive in so far as it does not establish for midwifes a monopoly over the exercise of their activities, which are listed in Article 4. (1999/C 96/122) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2409/98 by Joan Colom i Naval (PSE) to the Commission (17 July 1998) Subject: Commission presence in Macao The European Parliamentís delegation for relations with the Peopleís National Assembly of China undertakes a visit to the Peopleís Republic of China approximately every two years. The most recent visit took place this year at the end of May and during the first week of June. As on previous occasions the Commissionís office in Peking provided assistance in various ways, from logistical support to information meetings. In particular, the Commission representative attended several of the official meetings and one of the officeís staff accompanied the delegation throughout its visit to Dalyan. Since it was set up, Parliamentís delegation has on two occasions included Macao in its itinerary: in 1991 and also this year, from the evening of Saturday, 6 June to mid-afternoon on Sunday, 7 June, during which time it held meetings with the Governor, the Macao Legislative Council and the leaders of various projects to which the EU is contributing. Throughout the day in Macao, nobody attended from the Commissionís office in Hong Kong, despite the fact that Macao falls within its jurisdiction. Does the Commission not consider that sending a representative to Macao was something which falls within the Hong Kong officeís area of responsibility? Was it not thought worthwhile to send a representative? Since the Hong Kong office attended the meeting with consuls in Hong Kong, why did it not send a representative to Macao?