91997E2556

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2556/97 by Harald Ettl (PSE) to the Commission (24 July 1997)

Subject: Discriminatory age limits in the advertising of posts in EU institutions

In the EU employment debate the blame is very often laid at the door of the individual, mobility and lifelong learning being described as the panacea for unemployment. The EU institutions in particular should set an example in this context by refraining from the practice of imposing discriminatory age limits as a requirement for admission to the EU's service and taking suitable initiatives to create skilled jobs in the EU sphere for anyone, male or female, of any age.

1. Is it true that some notifications of vacant posts in the European institutions impose an age limit (Notification of Open Competition EUR/A/121 published by the Council of the European Union, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions in OJ C 363 A, 3.12.1996)?

2. What objective arguments for the discriminatory exclusion of older people from working and professional life are advanced when, on the one hand, the people concerned still have 20 or more years of working life before them and, on the other hand, programmes for the integration of older people into the labour market indicate a different policy?

3. How is this inconsistency justified?

4. What suitable initiatives have been taken by the EU institutions to create skilled jobs in the EU sphere for anyone, male or female, of any age?

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.