WRITTEN QUESTION P-0692/00 by Francesco Speroni (TDI) to the Commission. Fixed-term contracts for the Fifth Framework programme.
C 330 E/206 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 21. 11. 2000 At the last meeting of the high level group for road safety it was clear that Member States still had different views about the effectiveness of daytime running lights. In particular, there were different views about whether the consequent additional fuel consumption and CO2 emissions were a significant social cost which counteracted the estimated benefits of the measure. Consequently the Commission reported to the group that it would consider developing Community legislation for daytime running lights when there was broader support from Member States. (1) COM(2000) 125. (2000/C 330 E/238) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0692/00 by Francesco Speroni (TDI) to the Commission (29 February 2000) Subject: Fixed-term contracts for the Fifth Framework programme Following the Commissionís decision of 19 January 1996 concerning the new staff policy (NPPR), notices of vacancy with internal selection procedure were published. The contracts, which were concluded for two years from 15 February 1997 and extended for a further two years, expired on 15 February 2000. The extension occurred during the Fifth Framework programme which ends in 2002. As a result, some researchers whose contracts were renewed were assigned to projects longer than the duration of their contracts (for example, the four-year COCO project due to end in 2002). Does the Commission not consider that this forced interruption of research projects caused by the expiry of researchersí contracts is economically damaging and puts a brake on research work, highlighting the fact that the flexibility demanded of fixed-term contract workers is being applied in an inappropriate manner and with the wrong timescale, without taking into account the need for successful completion of the Fifth Framework programme? Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission (20 March 2000) The contracts referred to by the Honourable Member are contracts for fixed-term staff for a maximum duration of three years, as provided for by the new staff policy under the research budget adopted by the Commission in 1996. Their aim is to enable a certain flexibility to be achieved in appointing specialist staff, more particularly in the areas for which the Commission does not have any recruitment reserves. Their numbers may exceed the research payroll by 25 %. These fixed-term staff members are selected from a database set up after a call for applications that has been widely disseminated outside the Commission (more particularly on the Cordis website). It must also be stressed, in this connection, that those fixed-term staff members are informed of the maximum three- year duration of their contracts at the point when they make their application, and also when the contract is signed. In addition, such contracts may be entered into at any time of the year. Thus they do not all expire on 15 February 2000. It should also be stressed that these contracts are not intended to span the duration of a framework contract, nor even that of a specific project. They correspond to a form of recruitment that supplements that for fixed-term staff appointed via selection procedures that can be treated on the same basis as open competitions, who are covered by renewable five-year contracts or contracts of unspecified length, depending upon whether they are employed as research-staff members for scientific or technical purposes or for administrative purposes. In any case the Commission may point out to the Honourable Member that no research contract has been interrupted by the expiry of fixed-term staff contracts