WRITTEN QUESTION E-0331/02

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 February 2002)

Subject: Persecution of Greeks in Albania

In his answer of 22 January 2002 to question No E-3321/01(1) tabled by myself and Mr Christos Zacharakis, Commissioner Patten casts doubt on the reports of targeted demolition of houses belonging to members of the Greek ethnic minority in Albania and thereby contradicts the warnings which appeared in the Greek press prior to the events, to which I had also referred, and the statements made by the new mayor of Himara, which have never been denied by the Albanians.

The Commissioner has thereby put the Commission in a compromising position as he appears not to recognise the seriousness of an issue which relates to respect for the most fundamental of human rights, a legacy of communist rule in Albania (under which thousands of the Greek ethnic minority were persecuted, imprisoned and tortured). The blame for the persistence of this situation could be laid at Europe's door since it supports Albania economically and politically without compelling it to comply with international standards of respect for minorities. A particularly distasteful part of Mr Patten's answer were the comments that Albania's attitude was constructive and that the Commission had not observed any persecution of the Greek minority in Albania.

Will the Commission say exactly how many schools teaching the Greek language are operating in how many areas for the thousands of Greeks in Albania? What is the sum total of Community funding given to that country over the last ten years? On what conditions did the EU grant that funding? Which of those conditions did Albania fulfil? Did the Commission check, and in what way, that those funds were used for the purposes for which they were granted and were not used to support nationalist groups in Kosovo, FYROM and elsewhere? Does Albania observe the international agreements which it has concluded (in particular the Corfu Protocol) and how does the Commission monitor the degree to which the rights of all minorities (regardless of race or creed) are respected in Albania?

(1) OJ C 229 E, 26.9.2002, p. 13.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 March 2002)

The importance of minority protection and the respect of minority rights are issues of the utmost importance for the Commission. The Commission makes every effort to ensure an appropriate follow up in these matters, particularly in sensitive areas such as South-East Europe.

The Commission reiterates that, in its view, there is currently no solid justification to talk about persecution of the Greek minority in Albania. It also confirms that, in general, Albania is showing a co-operative attitude in the field of minorities. But the Commission does not argue that Albania has reached a fully satisfactory situation in terms of minorities and that there is no room for improvement. Plainly there is. The Commission continues to take every opportunity to encourage Albania to take further steps in order to ensure full compliance as rapidly as possible with the relevant international standards in this field, in particular with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of National Minorities to which Albania is a member.

As regards the specific questions raised by the Honourable Member, the Commission is pleased to inform him that, according to available data, there are around 30 elementary schools, 40 secondary schools and two high schools teaching in Greek in Albania. Community financial assistance to Albania since 1991 has totalled around EUR 1 billion. The Commission has monitored the use of these funds and considers that they have been used for the purposes for which they have been granted. Monitoring of minority rights implementation by the Commission is carried out primarily through its Delegation in Tirana, and through regular dialogue with international bodies (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), European Union Monitoring Mission (UEMM)) and Union Embassies present in Albania, through exchanges with competent international organisations (Council of Europe) and through direct enquiries to the Albanian authorities.