Eurojust

9.6.2008

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3473/08
by Enrique Barón Crespo (PSE)
to the Commission

According to the European Commission’s annual report on Eurojus (Comm/B.2 D(2008) 7143), that service has settled 9 394 matters in countries such as Germany (2 500) and Spain (2 301), being the only proximity service to provide information and advice to the public on Community law. It is considered by the Commission representations to be the only personal service to the public to offer multiple benefits such as direct and personal contact with citizens, immediacy of response, clear perception as an EU service and a positive media image of the EU and its representations.

Despite its provision of direct personal advisory services on EC law, the Commission has decided that this work will be partially taken over by the service Europe Direct, while also recognising that only certain services currently offered by Eurojus will continue to be provided.

Why did the Commission not inform the European Parliament of its decision, as it pledged to do in its answer to the question submitted by Astrid Thors?

What activities conducted to date by the Eurojus service are not to be offered by other services and are to be discontinued? Why has the Commission decided to discontinue those activities?

Does the Commission feel it is possible for a general telephone response service to take the place of the direct personal and professional services offered by the Eurojus legal advisory service?

Does it not consider personal contact, in the language of the member of the public concerned, to be essential? Why is it discriminating between EU citizens in the form of the higher cost of an international telephone call to access the same service, which not everyone can afford? How does scrapping the only direct personal access service square with the strategy of ‘communicating with citizens’? How does scrapping a proximity public service square with the ‘go local’, closer communication approach?

OJ C 40, 18/02/2009