WRITTEN QUESTION E-0777/96 by Gerardo Fernández-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (1 April 1996)

Subject: Disparities in family allowances in the EU Member States

According to the findings of the Eurostat survey, between 1980 and 1991, the EU Member States spent 15 times as much as Spain on family benefits. A Spanish woman would need to have 16 children to receive the allowance which a British woman receives for one child.

While in most Member States of the Union family allowances are not linked to income, in Spain the allowances paid by the government are based on minimum income levels, which disqualifies the majority of families.

Does the Commission intend to tackle such disparities by proposing a family allowances policy which ensures that all European families receive equivalent allowances and rules out flagrant disparities such as those currently affecting Spanish families?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (7 May 1996)

The fixing of family allowances is within the sole discretion of the Member States. The only competence of the Commission in this area is to make sure that citizens living in another Member State than of their origin do not suffer discrimination. Futhermore the European observatory on national family policies monitors the measures in favour of families and reports on them on an annual basis.