91999E0100

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0100/99

by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission

(20 January 1999)

Subject: Recruitment of officials to the ETF in Turin

On 5 January 1999, Commissioner Cresson replied to my question No E-3361/98(1) in which I raised the issue of the flagrantly biased recruitment policy of the European Training Foundation (ETF) in Turin, which ignores applicants from Greece, Portugal and Spain. Mrs Cresson attempts to justify the situation by referring to the "independence of the ETF", stressing that "the Director is responsible for all matters pertaining to personnel", while adding the unfortunate phrase that "selection is made exclusively on the basis of the qualifications and skills required", clearly implying that Greek, Portuguese and Spanish applicants for positions at the ETF are less qualified and skilled than applicants from other countries, dozens of whom are employed at the ETF. The Commissioner maintains that the ETF is an "independent" body, though it is the Commission which persistently puts requests before Parliament for ETF funding and argues in favour of increasing its budget. Moreover, the Commissioner is well aware of how many substantiated and serious allegations have been made inside and outside the Community Institutions concerning irregularities in recruitment and lack of transparency, which has undermined the Commission's credibility, as was apparent to everyone during the recent motion of censure against the Commission in Parliament during the week of 11-15 January 1999.

How will the Commission ensure that the flagrant bias in recruitment to the ETF is eliminated and what measures will it take immediately (given that time and the patience of the other Community Institutions seems to be running out) to ensure that the departments and decentralised agencies that it supervises operate in a manner which is beyond reproach?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission

(9 April 1999)

The Commission wishes to point out that in its answer to Written Question E-3361/98 the Commission described the legal and regulatory framework governing personnel management at the European Training Foundation in Turin, as well as the criteria governing its personnel selection procedures.

Since the latest written question does not contain any new information over and above the Honourable Member's previous Written Question, the Commission can only confirm what it said in its answer to that question.

If the Honourable Member can furnish additional particulars explaining his criticisms of the substance of the Foundation's personnel selection procedure, the Commission will of course examine them with all due attention.

(1) OJ C 182, 28.6.1999, p. 70.