WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2243/98 by Allan MACARTNEY to the Commission. SOCRATES: Occupational Travellers (Comenius Action II)
5. 2. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 31/135 Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (22 September 1998) The system of staff categories laid down in Article 5 of the Staff Regulations of officials applies to all the Community institutions. The conditions governing access to each category are therefore the same for every institution. At the time of writing the Commission offices in the Member States employ 178 officials, 5 temporary staff and 185 local staff. The heads of these offices are appointed at grade A3 for a period of between three and six years, depending on the rules in force. (1999/C 31/187) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2243/98 by Allan Macartney (ARE) to the Commission (16 July 1998) Subject: SOCRATES: Occupational Travellers (Comenius Action II) Given the success of the Socrates programme in providing innovative educational projects aimed at youngsters from the Occupational Travellersí community, can the Commission offer assurances that specific funds will be designated within the new Socrates programme (2000-2005) to maintain and develop support for the education of Occupational Travellers? Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (8 September 1998) The Commission fully shares the positive assessment in regard to the contribution made by Comenius to the educational provision of occupational travellers. Occupational travellers, as well as other groups with specific educational needs, will remain an important target group of the future Socrates programme. The Commission proposal on the Decision for Socrates II (1) specifically refers to occupational travellers in the annex to the decision by outlining under action 1. 1, paragraph 3 c in regard to school partnerships that activities eligible for Community assistance may include cooperation projects meeting the specific needs of the children of migrant workers, gypsies, travellers and itinerant workers, mentioning under action 1. 2, paragraph 3 d, aspects of specific training relating to the integration of the children of migrant workers, gypsies and travellers and itinerant workers as possible eligible activities in the area of staff development. It is the intention of the Commission to implement the above provisions › and formulate future applicant guidelines › in a way not only to ensure that projects targeting the specific needs of occupational travellers › be they school partnership projects or educational staff training projects › will remain eligible but also that a sufficient number of such projects will receive Community funding. The Commission will furthermore encourage one of the networks to be established under the future Comenius action (see action 1, second paragraph of Annex to the Socrates Decision) to exclusively target the educational needs of occupational travellers. Taking into account the important contribution made by the European federation for the education of the children of the occupational travellers (Efecot) in this area, the Commission is convinced that Efecot should play the key role in regard to these networking activities. (1) COM(98) 329