Role and positioning of the Joint Research Centre within the Commission
Following the concerns many of you expressed about the new positioning
of the JRC under the responsibility of the Commissioner for Education, Culture,
Youth and Citizenship, we have written a letter to the new President-elect Mr
J. C. Juncker:
Dear Mr Juncker,
As a Trade Union of the Directorate General Joint Research Centre, we have been very surprised to learn that the JRC has been placed under the responsibility of the Commissioner for “Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship”.
We note the JRC is also cited in the mandate of the Commissioner for “Research, Science & Innovation”.
However, the rationale behind the re-positioning of a Directorate General strictly related to "Research" – up to the point that the word “Research” is present in its name – out of the “Research, Science & Innovation” portfolio is far from being easily understandable and is causing concern to JRC staff.
Additionally, the apparent overlap between the role of the Chief Scientific Advisor and the role of the JRC is also a major source of confusion.
In fact, if it is true that the creation of a Chief Scientific Advisor position has contributed to bring science closer to the decision making process, it is also true that the in-house
Science service of the Commission is the JRC, as clearly defined in its mission statement:
"As the Commission's in-house science service, the Joint Research Centre's mission is to provide EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support throughout the whole policy cycle. Working in close cooperation with policy Directorates-General, the JRC addresses key societal challenges while stimulating innovation through developing new methods, tools and standards, and sharing its know-how with the Member States, the scientific community and international partners."
The JRC has up until now successfully supported the Commission policy making process and its staff is very keen to further develop its engagement with our fellow DGs.
Despite this, the only indication that has so far been made available regarding our future is that the JRC "should progressively develop its role as a service supporting all Commission services with its knowledge and its expertise".
Therefore we wish to bring to your attention the following questions raised by JRC staff:
• What is the political rationale behind the choice of portfolio?
• Will the mission of the JRC change and, if so, how?
• Can you confirm that the JRC will continue to be a Directorate General of the Commission?
• What are the differences and the relationship between the role of the Chief Scientific Advisor and
that of the JRC?
For the reasons above, we believe further communication is owed to all JRC staff in order to clearly explain your strategy and to answer the questions that have been raised.
Waiting for your kind reply, please accept our best regards.
New Commission Structure - JRC moved to Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship
The structure of the new Commission is now available.
The Joint Research Centre has been moved under the the responsibility of Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship.
You can find more details in the letter sent by President Juncker to our new Commissioner Tibor Navracsics
Abstract from the letter:
The Joint Research Centre has been moved under the the responsibility of Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Citizenship.
You can find more details in the letter sent by President Juncker to our new Commissioner Tibor Navracsics
Abstract from the letter:
"You will be responsible for taking forward the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, in Budapest, as well as for the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, which should progressively develop its role as a service supporting all Commission services with its knowledge and its expertise.
In this context, you will work closely with the Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs and the Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation to ensure synergies between EU-funded programmes in support of new societal demands, and to share their results to a wide public."
Infographics (source: Euractiv)
Assessment of individual rights at Ispra
Our impression is that the
situation has severely worsened after the closure of the PMO sector dealing with
individual rights at the Ispra site.
We are convinced that the 3rd
largest site of the Commission has the critical mass to require the presence of
a local “assessment of individual rights” service available to its staff – as
is already the case, for instance, at Luxembourg.
For this reason R&D has written
to Mr Lemaître, Director of PMO, requesting the re-establishment of an
individual rights sector at Ispra.
At the same time,
we have invited our Director General, Mr Šucha, to support our initiative.
Internet access at the lodgings
We are happy to inform you that, also thanks to our insistence, this long standing request has finally been answered.
In fact, since a few weeks and as a temporary solution, devices providing UMTS Internet access have already been made available to newcomers upon their arrival in the lodgings.
In parallel, B7 and C4 Units are working intensively on a more permanent cable based solution, implementation of which is expected in the coming months.
R&D Ispra wishes to thank all those who have provided their active support to this project, especially our Director General, OIB, members of COPAS, and the B7/C4 Units and respective Directorates.
Our secretariat is always available to offer support to any new users who may need assistance with the activation of the device, or indeed with any other aspects related to their arrival in Ispra.
We would appreciate any comments and suggestions from those who have already benefitted from the UMTS service, so that we can report to our administration any eventual issues or ideas for improvement.
Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the situation until the permanent service will be fully in place, and we will inform you accordingly.
R&Delivery for our Members
R&Delivery
Have you ever waited for a parcel, but nobody was present at home to collect the parcel for you?
R&D Ispra in partnership with
offers a new service to its members!
Our members get 4 free* collections included in their yearly R&D subscription.
The amount of free deliveries included in your subscription is not enough? Contact our secretariat and discover the additional advantages reserved to our members!
(*) Any unused free credits expire at the end of the subscription period. In case of 6 months subscription, the number of free deliveries must be halved.
(**) You can find the service conditions at the bottom of this page. For more info, see our FAQ
(**) You can find the service conditions at the bottom of this page. For more info, see our FAQ
To take advantage of this service, simply follow these steps:
① - Buy
Do your online shopping, and set the delivery place as follows:
Name Surname c/o "Il Globo"
Via Fermi, 492
21020 Cadrezzate (VA)
If you wish us to collect your delivered items on your behalf, you can set the delivery place as follows:
Raffaella Morellini c/o "Il Globo"
Via Fermi, 492
21020 Cadrezzate (VA)
You will then have the possibility to collect your parcels at our secretariat, at your earliest convenience!
② - Notify
Notify rd.ispra@gmail.com of your upcoming delivery by setting the subject of the message to "Indabox", and by providing the following information:
- Your name and surname
- The name of the supplier of your order
- Your mobile phone number
- Your chosen place of delivery (if you don't specify, the default is "Il Globo")
- In case you need it, specify your wish to have your parcel(s) collected by us on your behalf (in this case, remember to set "Cristina Radi c/o Il Globo" as delivery place)
- The approximate size of the package(s): small, medium or large (according to the examples below)
Small
CDs, books, watches, smartphones, shoes,...Medium
21" screens, tablets, notebooks, briefcases,...Large
32" screens, desktop PCs, suitcases,...
If the order is split into multiple collections (e.g., Amazon sending from different stores), you have to notify the number of collections into which your order has been split.
Each individual collection consumes one credit.
Each individual collection consumes one credit.
③ - Collect
An SMS message and an e-mail confirmation are sent to you as soon as your order is available at the collection point (Globo or Carrefour Ispra).
Unless you requested us to collect your parcels on your behalf, remember to bring with you a copy of the confirmation message and your ID document.
Example of message
Unless you requested us to collect your parcels on your behalf, remember to bring with you a copy of the confirmation message and your ID document.
Example of message
Pacco
arrivato!
Ciao Name Surname!
Il pacco che ti ha spedito Supplier è pronto per essere ritirato presso Il Globo!
Stampa questa email e portala con te per il ritiro!
MODULO DI RITIRO
Punto di ritiro: Il Globo
Indirizzo: Via Fermi 21020 Cadrezzate, Italia
Tel: 0123456789
Orari: Lun -> Ven: 07:00 - 20:00 Sab e Dom: chiuso
Spedizione segnalata il 20-08-2014
Codice spedizione: U1122334455667788
Stampa e firma questa email e consegnala al punto di ritiro IndaBox indicato.
Mittente: Supplier
Questa e' una spedizione pre-pagata!
---------------------------------------
Ricevuta e conferma di consegna:
Confermo di aver ritirato la merce ed aver trovato i colli in stato integro e ben sigillati.
Firma:
...................................
PER EFFETTUARE IL RITIRO OCCORRE ESIBIRE UN DOCUMENTO DI IDENTITA'
You can find additional information by consulting our FAQ!
Il pacco che ti ha spedito Supplier è pronto per essere ritirato presso Il Globo!
Stampa questa email e portala con te per il ritiro!
MODULO DI RITIRO
Punto di ritiro: Il Globo
Indirizzo: Via Fermi 21020 Cadrezzate, Italia
Tel: 0123456789
Orari: Lun -> Ven: 07:00 - 20:00 Sab e Dom: chiuso
Spedizione segnalata il 20-08-2014
Codice spedizione: U1122334455667788
Stampa e firma questa email e consegnala al punto di ritiro IndaBox indicato.
Mittente: Supplier
Questa e' una spedizione pre-pagata!
---------------------------------------
Ricevuta e conferma di consegna:
Confermo di aver ritirato la merce ed aver trovato i colli in stato integro e ben sigillati.
Firma:
...................................
PER EFFETTUARE IL RITIRO OCCORRE ESIBIRE UN DOCUMENTO DI IDENTITA'
You can find additional information by consulting our FAQ!
Conditions
1) Payment
No contrassegno!
The collection point will refuse to accept your delivery if the courier will ask for a payment - regardless of its amount.
Be sure that all products and associated costs are entirely paid and nothing else is due.
In case of "pagamento in contrassegno", the delivery will be refused!
Be sure that all products and associated costs are entirely paid and nothing else is due.
In case of "pagamento in contrassegno", the delivery will be refused!
2) Size
NO illegal or bulky goods!
Delivery of items up to 15 Kg and 0,2 cubic meters is allowed.
It is therefore impossible getting too bulky or heavy items delivered to Indabox collection points.
The collection point will reject the delivery!
It's of course forbidden to send goods against the law.
It is therefore impossible getting too bulky or heavy items delivered to Indabox collection points.
The collection point will reject the delivery!
It's of course forbidden to send goods against the law.
3) Origin
European Union only!
It is forbidden to get items delivered from countries outside the European Union.
In fact, this kind of deliveries often require additional costs charged to the recipient.
The collection point will not anticipate any amount and will refuse delivery.
In fact, this kind of deliveries often require additional costs charged to the recipient.
The collection point will not anticipate any amount and will refuse delivery.
4) Address
How to write the address?
When you specify your delivery place to the online supplier (shop), you must remember to correctly fill-in the delivery address, i.e.:
- your name and surname
- the name and address of the chosen collection point See an example
The Juncker team revealed
Although president-elect Jean-Claude Juncker is still interviewing candidates for Commissioners, EurActiv has seen a draft organigram prepared by his services and dated 2 September, in which every single commissioner is assigned a portfolio.
The document is clearly not a final version and subject to change.
Transport service from the European School to the JRC Crèche/Garderie
As some of you may already
know, the transport service for our children going from the European School to
the JRC Crèche/Garderie was in danger of being discontinued this year due to a
lack of budget resources of the Cooperativa Trasporti.
We consider this service as socially
useful and of great value to the JRC (see the note signed by all Ispra Unions) as it contributes to facilitating
the work-life balance of our colleagues and increases the attractiveness of the
JRC Ispra site.
We are happy to inform you
that, also with the contribution of our R&D representative in COPAS (*see
below), an agreement has been reached to use, exceptionally, social
credits normally allocated to social activities and sport clubs to support the
service and guarantee the transport of children to the JRC Ispra
Crèche/Garderie for the school year 2014/2015.
At the same time, we wish to
express our disappointment that the JRC Administration has not yet found
a sustainable means to ensure the continuity of this service for future
years.
We invite once again the JRC
Administration (*see below) to actively initiate discussions with all the
involved stakeholders in order to find a sustainable long-term solution.
* From the minutes of the 4th COPAS
Ispra/Seville meeting 2014 - 30th June 2014:
As requested by DC at the previous COPAS meeting, RK (Ed., Robert Kenny,
R&D) presented further information.
He informed the members that the Cooperative had added this extra bus
two years ago in order to provide a very important service to parents of
children attending the Garderie or otherwise being collected at the Clubhouse.
This service is also socially valuable to the JRC, since it allows parents of
young children to optimise their work-life balance.
RK reported that this service was added by the Cooperative in the
knowledge that it could only be funded from reserves for a short time. Furthermore,
the President of the Cooperative had stated that he had already contacted the
JRC at the end of 2013 to alert them that they would have to stop the service
in July 2014, if a source of financing was not found, but no solution had been
identified. It was noted that the Cooperative has never officially requested
funding from COPAS.
In case COPAS will finance the
service much information will have to be provided, i.e. the accounts of the
cooperative, the bank account and the reasons why the Cooperative cannot afford
to pay anymore. RK had also contacted the PMO in Brussels, which had explained
that as it stands the PMO cannot reimburse the further costs incurred by the
extra bus provided between the school and the Garderie.
The PMO made some unofficial suggestions for a solution which could possibly
allow coverage of this service, but RK did not report details to COPAS as it should
properly be discussed between the Cooperative, PMO and JRC.
RK regrets that it has become urgent and critical for the continuation
of the service that the only solution would seem to be that COPAS agree to
grant the funding with no time left to try to find alternative solutions.
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