European Commission: part-time work. European ombudsman Special report, complaint 242/2000/GG

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the report by Jean LAMBERT (Greens/EFA, United Kingdom). It pointed out the Commission was not able to justify the requirement that seconded national experts work full-time by relevant and acceptable objective factors, bearing in mind, in particular, that according to the established case-law of the Court of Justice, budgetary considerations cannot justify discrimination against one of the sexes. Parliament endorsed the Ombudsman's Special Report and agreed that the European Ombudsman was correct in finding that the Commission did not give valid reasons for its failure fully to comply with the Ombudsman's draft recommendation of 10 May 2001. It welcomed the fact that, as a result of the Ombudsman's recommendation, the Commission, albeit later than its own specified date, has honoured the undertakings that it gave at the time of the inquiry. Finally, Parliament stated that the institutions of the Union cannot make respect for fundamental rights the subject of negotiations or postpone at their convenience compliance with legal obligations concerning freedom from discrimination.�