WRITTEN QUESTION E-0558/00 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Reassignment of Commission staff.
C 374 E/106 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 rectify these deficiencies and achieve a system which is fair, consistent, and not subject to undue delays. The proposed setting up of an inter-institutional disciplinary board and the possibility for the administra- tion to present its case to the disciplinary board are among the changes which will require amendments to the Staff Regulations. Changes which do not require amendments to the Staff Regulations will also be introduced. As the White Paper said áclear rules will be set out in a handbook together with an explanation of rights and obligations; guidelines will be developed for penalties related to the gravity of the offence; an enlarged permanent secretariat for the disciplinary board will provide greater consistency; and disciplinary decisions will be published (with names removed to protect confidentiality)í. Developments such as these are sensible and necessary ways of modernising provisions in the Commission and other Institutions and dismissal will certainly be retained as a penalty where such a course is justified on the basis of objective evidence and effective procedures. The Commission is certain, however, that the Honourable Member will agree that the overall effectiveness of disciplinary systems is best measured by the degree to which they help to prevent indiscipline, rather than by the number of employees who are dismissed. (1) COM(2000) 10 final. (2000/C 374 E/122) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0558/00 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (29 February 2000) Subject: Reassignment of Commission staff In view of the reduction in the workload of the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, given the successful conclusion of the third stage of monetary union, and in view of the very sharp increase in the workload of the Directorate-General for Competitions, given the sharp increase in European mergers and acquisitions, has the Commission taken any measures to reassign staff from the one to the other? If not, why not? Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission (17 April 2000) The preparation of the introduction of the euro on 1 February 1999 required intensive preparatory work by the Directorate general for Economic and financial affairs (DG ECFIN) (1) in co-operation with other Commission services. Since the launch of the euro, an essential part of DG ECFINís activities has been redirected towards ensuring economic and monetary union (EMU)ís smooth functioning. This reorientation has been accompanied by an important modification of DG ECFINís organizational structure in early 1999. Besides the increased importance of economic policy co-ordination and multilateral surveillance (including the Broad economic policy guidelines, the Stability and growth pact, excessive deficit procedure, Cardiff process, Cologne process, etc. ), the advent of the euro has also brought a number of other important issues to the forefront, such as the integration of financial markets and the external aspects of EMU, all of which have contributed to DG ECFINís workload since 1999. It should also be kept in mind that important parts of DG ECFINís work are not directly áeuro-linkedí. This applies for instance to most of the activities of the directorate for international affairs, the economic evaluation directorate (in charge of the economic analysis of the different Community policy areas), the financial directorate (in charge of the Financial operations service in Luxembourg, etc. The Commission can not therefore concur with the view that the introduction of the euro has decreased DG ECFINís overall workload. financial market analysis, capital movements, etc. ), 28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/107 The Commission is fully aware of the sustained increase in the number of cases to be dealt with in the field of competition policy, in particular in the area of mergers. In order to face the growing workload, the Commission has reinforced the Competition Directorate general with around 50 staff units since 1998. However, this reinforcement only partially meets the actual needs of DG Competition, despite the motivation and commitment of its staff. As done thus far, the Commission will continue to review critically its activities in order to shift resources towards core activities and new political priorities. Once all the possibilities for reallocation of existing human resources to priority areas are exhausted, the Commission will request additional human resources from the budget authority. (1) Total ECFIN staff (permanent officials and temporary agents) amounts to 316 in Brussels and 108 in Luxembourg and represents about 2,1 % of total Commission staff. (2000/C 374 E/123) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0559/00 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (29 February 2000) Subject: Direct foreign investment What was the total of direct foreign investment in each of the Member States in each of the last five years? What was the breakdown of direct foreign investment by other Member States of the European Union and by third countries, and what was the amount in each case from Japan and the United States? Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission (19 April 2000) The answers to the questions put by the Honourable Member are to be found in three statistical tables sent direct to the Honourable Member and Parliamentís Secretariat. Table 1 gives the foreign direct investment (FDI) in all the Member States from 1994 to 1999 as well as the FDI undertaken by the various Member States during the same period. Table 2 gives the FDI for 1998 undertaken in each Member State by (a) the other Member States (overall figures) and (b) all third countries (overall figures). The specific figures for the FDI in each Member State by Japan and the United States are also given. Table 3 sets out in detail the FDI in each Member State by each of the other Member States. Given the interest shown by the Honourable Member in foreign direct investment in the Community, it seems appropriate to bring to his attention the recent publication by Eurostat of a book containing the investment yearbook 1999 ü Data (European Union direct most recent statistics on the matter 1988-1998. Theme 2: Economy and Finance) (1). (1) ISBN 92-828-8310-8