WRITTEN QUESTION E-0129/00 by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) and Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Single programming document 2000-2006.
24. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 303 E/145 The Council would also point out to the Honourable Member that the Parties agreed in the 4. aforementioned exchange of notes to resume the official negotiations on the Wines and Spirits Agreement in March 2000 with a view to concluding them before 1 June 2000 and enabling the said Agreement to enter into force on 1 September 2000. (2000/C 303 E/157) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0128/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission (27 January 2000) Subject: Bank charges in Italy Various European banks are suspected of having cartel agreements to maintain high commission charges on foreign exchange transactions following the introduction of the euro. On the basis of the investigations already begun, and those currently in progress, will the Commission: 1. 2. indicate which Italian banks have already been investigated, and with what results; state what measures it intends to take to put an end to such practices, which have been condemned many times by consumersí associations but have always been denied by the banks. Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (2 March 2000) The Commission has begun investigations into the bank charges on foreign exchange transactions in the Member States participating in the euro, following various complaints from consumersí associations and others. The Commission has conducted on-the-spot checks on two Italian banks. These checks were made 1. with the assistance of the national authority responsible for competition matters. This authority, the Bank of Italy, has adopted two decisions on bank charges. The first was adopted on 25 November 1999 and related to a recommendation by the Associazione Bancaria Italiana (Association of Italian Banks) that its members introduce a new schedule of bank charges following the introduction of the euro on 1 January 1999; this recommendation was deemed a restrictive practice incompatible with the rules on competition. The second decision, which was adopted on 18 January 2000, was directed at a group of banks known as the Friends of the Bankí and dealt partly with bank charges on cross-border payments. The Bank of Italy concluded that there had been collusion in the fixing of these charges and that this constituted a restrictive practice; it consequently decided to impose fines on the banks concerned. The Commissionís investigations are still in progress. Any measures it takes will depend on what 2. proof can be found as to the existence of restrictive practices. (2000/C 303 E/158) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0129/00 by Ria Oomen-Ruijten (PPE-DE) and Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Single programming document 2000-2006 (27 January 2000) On 19 October 1999 the Dutch Minister for Social Affairs and Employment forwarded to the Commission the single programming document (SPD) for ESF (Objective 3) measures for the period 2000 to 2006. C 303 E/146 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 What does the Commission think of the intention of the Dutch government to use ESF (Objective 3) funds in the new programming period in particular to implement the government decision to allocate NLG 250 million in 2000 to the Employment Service (measures for those who have been unemployed for less than a year), in view of the fact that the main target should be those who are very much out of the labour market? The SPD 2000-2006 proposes that the unit responsible for implementing ESF programmes should come under the Employment Service in the short term and under the National Institute for Employment and Income (LIWI) in the longer term. How does the Commission view the proposal for the ESF implementation unit to form part of the Employment Service, which means those applying for ESF assistance and those granting such assistance coming under the same body? What does the Commission think of the Dutch governmentís choice of the LIWI, given that the tasks of the ESF implementation unit do not represent a logical extension of the main function of the LIWI, which is to act as the steering body for the Employment and Income Centres (CWI), and in view of the development in the Netherlands which has led to municipalities receiving their funds for reintegration from one source, namely the Minister for Social Affairs and Employment? The proposals in the SPD include the setting up of a steering committee. Under these plans, Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) will not be represented on the committee. the Does the Commission agree that it is desirable for the VNG to be represented on the committee, given that this is in accordance with the partnership principle which the Commission wishes to see applied, and that the municipalities will play an important role in implementing ESF (Objective 3) programmes during the new programming period as well as an important commissioning role? Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (29 February 2000) The European social fund (ESF) is the main Community instrument for the realisation of the objectives of the European employment strategy. On a national level these objectives have been worked out on the basis of 22 guidelines in the Dutch national action plan (NAP). The development plan for objective 3 which the Dutch authorities have sent to the Commission forms the basis for the negotiation of the new single programming document (SPD). The exact contents of the SPD depend on the outcome of the negotiations between the Commission and the Dutch authorities and these negotiations have only just begun. The proposal of the Dutch authorities, as outlined in the plan, to use the bulk of the ESF money for the comprehensive approach (ásluitende aanpakí) seems completely in line with the preventive focus of the European employment strategy. Concretely, the Dutch authorities propose to use the ESF money to comply with guideline 2 of the NAP by the end of the year 2002. The plan also proposes a specific measure for the reintegration of long term unemployed which can be used for those who are at a distance from the labour market. It is for the Member State to decide its own administrative arrangements, such as where it wants to position the ESF implementation unit. It is the responsibility of the Commission to check that the ESF programme is implemented in a transparent, effective and correct way according to the regulation in force. The Commission will negotiate with the Dutch authorities to make sure that the implementation chapters in the SPD provide a sufficient guarantee for this to be the case. The Commission is following with great interest the recent developments in the Netherlands around the National institute for employment and income. This is seen as an innovative attempt to activate recipients of welfare, unemployment and disability benefits through a áone stop shopí approach. The new structural fund regulations favour a wide partnership and the Commission will discuss this matter with the Dutch authorities