WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1306/98 by Cristiana MUSCARDINI , Amedeo AMADEO , Roberta ANGELILLI , Spalato BELLERE' , Marco CELLAI , Gastone PARIGI , Sebastiano MUSUMECI , Salvatore TATARELLA , Antonio TRIZZA to the Commission. The Echelon system and spying activities directed against EU countries
22. 12. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 402/109 Directive 82/76/EEC (1) establishes that grants should be provided for trainee specialists for the whole course of specialization and Legislative Decree No 502/92 makes the possession of a post-graduate diploma of specialization compulsory for admission to competitions for jobs in the national health service for biologists too. In view of the above, can the Commission say: 1. whether it does not consider that biology graduates are being treated differently and are the victims of discrimination; 2. whether it does not consider that in order to remedy this situation biology graduates training to be specialists should be recognized at European level? (1) OJ L 43, 15. 2. 1982, p. 21. Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (24 June 1998) The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that the matters raised by her have been referred to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling. Accordingly, it cannot comment until the Courtís ruling has been delivered. (98/C 402/141) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1306/98 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI), Amedeo Amadeo (NI), Roberta Angelilli (NI), Spalato BellerØ (NI), Marco Cellai (NI), Gastone Parigi (NI), Sebastiano Musumeci (NI), Salvatore Tatarella (NI) and Antonio Trizza (NI) to the Commission (29 April 1998) Subject: The Echelon system and spying activities directed against EU countries Following reports published by the European Parliamentís DG IV and a number of inquiries carried out by the media, can the Commission say: 1. what proposals it intends to make to prevent EU Member States from being subjected to systematic espionage, which harms their political and economic interests and the general publicís right to privacy; 2. how it views the position of the government which currently holds the presidency of the Council but is at the same time an active member of the espionage system; 3. whether it does not consider that there is a blatant conflict of interests between the two functions carried out by the State in question; 4. whether it does not consider it appropriate to take specific steps to safeguard the human rights of EU citizens, whose telephone conversations, faxes and electronic messages are the subject of indiscriminate spying activities? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (15 June 1998) The Commission is unable to comment on such matters as they fall outside its competence as defined by the Treaty on European Union. On cryptography, however, the Commission would like to draw the Honourable Memberís attention to the fact that in its communication to the Parliament, the Council, the Economic and social committee and the Committee of the regions áensuring security and trust in electronic communication › towards a European framework for digital signatures and encryptioní (1), the Commission stressed the importance of cryptographic technologies as the essential tool for more security and trust in electronic communication. The free availability of these technologies would help to protect Member States as well as citizens against espionage. (1) COM(97) 503