03/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - MEPs from the Greens/EFA Group, Neil McCormick (Scottish National Party) and Monica Frassoni (Italian Green member elected in Belgium), organised a press conference with the President of the association of foreign teaching assistants, David Petrie, on 30 May in Brussels. It marked the occasion of the thirteenth anniversary of the first ruling whereby the Court of Justice found Italy guilty of discrimination against teaching assistants from other Member States. Despite three other rulings and as many resolutions at the European Parliament, the Italian universities still apply the same discriminatory system for foreign assistants teaching in these universities, noted Mr Petrie, who continues the fight begun so that seniority is taken into account and assistants are treated in an equal manner to Italian assistants, also with regard to salary. The two MEPs deplored the Commission's inertia on this subject.