91997E2720

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2720/97 by Susan Waddington (PSE) to the Commission (1 September 1997)

Subject: Age discrimination in recruitment - Amsterdam Draft Treaty

Given that the Amsterdam Draft Treaty text includes a new Article 6a, which provides for Community action 'to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation', what effect does the Commission envisage that this article will have on its own recruitment practices that incorporate age limits, once Treaty ratification has been completed?

Will this prospect now lead the Commission to remove the use of age barriers in its recruitment?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-2556/97 and E-2720/97 given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (22 September 1997)

In reply to questions 1, 2 and 3, the Commission confirms that there is an agreement between the Community institutions to apply a general age limit of 35 for admission to competitions for starting grades. There are several reasons for applying age limits, and they have virtually all been aired in the answers given to parliamentary questions.

Nevertheless, as indicated in the answer to Question E-1623/97 by Mr Alex Smith ((OJ C 45, 10.2.1998. )), the Commission has started taking a more flexible approach to age limits for recruitment.

The Board of the Heads of Administrative Departments have begun preliminary talks with a view to adopting a common approach to be applied by all European institutions. Discussions will resume early in the autumn.

The question of age limits will be one of those to be assessed in the context of the future entry into force of Article 6a of the EC Treaty introduced by the Amsterdam Treaty, on non-discrimination on grounds inter alia of age, and of trends in this respect in the Member States.