WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1448/99 by Giovanni PITTELLA Infringement procedure initiated against Italy in respect of training and employment contracts and the serious repercussions on businesses which have helped to create jobs in recent years
29. 1. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 27 E/73 Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (1 September 1999) The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as soon as possible. (2000/C 27 E/089) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1447/99 by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission (1 September 1999) Subject: Persecution of Gypsies in Kosovo A few days ago, Euronews and RAI television broadcast pictures of the entire Gypsy community of Kosovo abandoning the province en masse. It is has been estimated that some 100 000 Gypsies living in Kosovo will be forced to abandon their homes by the Kosovars, who are accusing them of being Serb collaboratorsí. What is the Commissionís position on this new round of ethnic cleansing whose victims, this time, are the entire Gypsy community of Kosovo, who are suffering the same kind of persecution as the Serbs allegedly meted out to the Kosovars and what measures will it propose to put an end to this persecution and to enable the people affected to return to their place of origin and their homes? Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (10 September 1999) The Commission is opposed to, and strongly condemns ethnic cleansing of any sort directed at any ethnic community. The Union condemned ethnic cleansing as carried out by the Serbian authorities on other ethnic communities, and has condemned recent incidents in Kosovo involving members of other ethnic communities. The Union is participating in the United Nations mission in Kosovo (UNMiK), the civilian administration of Kosovo. This civilian administration, working together with the military administration, military force for Kosovo (KFOR), is in the process of ensuring that such incidents cease, and that a tolerant, peaceful, multi- ethnic society is built in Kosovo, in which all can participate fully. (2000/C 27 E/090) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1448/99 by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission (1 September 1999) Subject: Infringement procedure initiated against Italy in respect of training and employment contracts and the serious repercussions on businesses which have helped to create jobs in recent years According to figures published by the Commission itself (Eurostat), unemployment is an extremely serious problem within Europe. There are reportedly at least 16 million unemployed people in the EU and one of the worst-affected regions is Southern Italy. Very serious social and economic repercussions may stem from the recent Commission decision to initiate an infringement procedure against Italy on the grounds that the training and employment contracts concluded over the last four years by many southern Italian SMEs with young unemployed people (who would otherwise be excluded from the employment market) on the basis of the EUís own employment promotion guidelines are illegal