91998E2589

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2589/98

by Herbert Bösch (PSE) to the Council

(1 September 1998)

Subject: School trips within the European Union

At present, school trips within the European Union made by classes which include pupils who are not nationals of an EU Member State entail a disproportionate degree of bureaucracy and expense.

When a secondary school class from Dornbirn was planning a trip to other EU States, a list of pupils first had to be drawn up and passports and visas checked.

Those pupils from non-EU countries who did not have their own passports with valid visas had to provide an up-to-date photograph. The completed EU pupil travel forms, accompanied by photographs, had to be checked again by computer at the local authority offices and certified against payment of a fee.

1. Has the Council previously been made aware of complaints about the disproportionate bureaucracy involved in school trips within the EU? What has already been done regarding this issue?

2. What proposals are on the table and what initiatives has the Council undertaken or does it intend to take?

3. Would a certificate issued by the school management not be sufficient for cross-border travel within a united Europe?

4. When can schools in the EU expect to see a simplification of this bureaucracy?

Reply

(9 November 1998)

1. The Council has not received any complaints from citizens about school trips.

2. On 30 November 1994 the Council, considering that the granting of travel facilities for school pupils who are legal residents in a Member State is an expression of a common will to improve the integration of third-country nationals, adopted a Decision on a joint action concerning travel facilities for school pupils from third countries resident in a Member State(1). The aim of the joint action is to eliminate the visa obligation for pupils who are nationals of a non-member country residing in a Member State and who request admission to the territory of another Member State, either for a short stay, in transit or in the context of a school trip.

3. The aforementioned joint action stipulates that the list of pupils must be signed by the headmaster/headmistress of the school and certified by the authority responsible for matters relating to aliens. However, it is for the competent authorities of the Member State of departure to authenticate the list for the purpose of confirming that those participating in the trip have the right of re-entry to the territory of that State.

4. The Council periodically evaluates the said joint action. In the light of the results of such evaluations, the Council does not, at this time, feel that it is necessary to amend the legal arrangements applicable to such trips.

(1) OJ L 327, 19.12.1994, p. 1.