ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3602/97 by Sérgio Ribeiro (GUE/NGL) to the Council (7 November 1997)

Subject: East Timor refugees in the Austrian embassy in Jakarta

Since the middle of September 1997 a group of East Timorese, including a family of four, have been seeking refuge in the Austrian embassy in Jakarta. The Portuguese government would seem to have expressed its willingness to receive them in Portugal, as they ask, but the Indonesian authorities have refused them exit visas. This is on the grounds that they are suspected of actions relating to which twelve other Timorese have already been imprisoned and, apparently - as is the usual practice of the Indonesian police, confirmed by a number of reports- tortured. The refugees in the Austrian embassy are trying to protect themselves against such imprisonment and torture. The Austrian government appears to be under pressure from the Indonesian authorities, and, in view of the reception accorded to the recent inter-Timorese meeting, there is reason to fear that, the meeting being over, this pressure will be stepped up.

Can the Council state whether, given that both the Austrian and the Portuguese government are represented on it, it could not extend its support to the Austrian government in its justified resistance to pressure and make every effort to ensure that the Indonesian government allows the refugees to leave the Austrian embassy and enter Portugal?

Answer (12 February 1998)

The Council follows closely and with concern the situation in East-Timor. It is preoccupied with the situation of those who have entered the Austrian Embassy and have asked to be transferred to Portugal.

The European Union takes every opportunity to make its position regarding East-Timor known to the Indonesian government. It continues to support actions and measures aimed towards the solution of the East-Timor issue. Only if such a solution can be found will incidents with people seeking refuge in foreign embassies in Jakarta be avoided. The Union has also, specifically, expressed to the Indonesian government concerns with regard to the situation of the East-Timorese who are still in the Austrian Embassy in Jakarta.

It is the wish of the Union that a way for a speedy solution will be found.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3433/97 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (31 October 1997)

Subject: Damage to the universal artistic heritage caused by the Umbrian earthquake

The Commission has recently stated that it will allocate ECU 100 000 to repair the damage caused by the earthquake in Umbria; the money will be provided under Raphael, the Community cultural heritage programme (the closing dates for some of the calls for expressions of interest issued in connection with the programme occur at about this time).

Does the Commission not consider the amount allotted to be decidedly insufficient given the scale of the damage, which was aggravated by the violence of the earthquake and in particular the seismic phenomena that continued for days afterwards?

The earthquake has damaged not only private homes, but also cottage industries and, above all, religious buildings including the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. The Raphael programme seeks to protect and conserve cultural assets, but, to judge from the funds earmarked, the Commission does not seem fully to have appreciated the historical artistic value of the buildings in question, which constitute not so much a priceless heritage of Italy alone as a universal heritage that should consequently also be protected by the Union.

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (16 December 1997)

The Commission confirms that it granted emergency aid of ECU 100 000 from the cultural funds. This sum, which of course does not match the scale of requirements, was allocated - after consultation with the Italian authorities - for the work of cataloguing fragments of the damaged frescoes in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. This work is of great scientific interest and could form the methodological basis for other, similar actions at European level. The involvement of other European countries in this instance may lead to other forms of collaboration with the Commission on cultural affairs, and in particular under the Raphael programme, always taking into account the limited resources available to it.

In addition, considerable support can be given through structural aid. These earthquakes struck largely rural areas to which the Commission attaches great importance and which are almost entirely covered by Objective 5b.

The two regions concerned requested the Commission to adjust the scheduling of Objective 5b in line with the new priorities and requirements created by this serious earthquake.

The Commission confirms its wholehearted willingness to initiate the necessary procedures within the partnership to add specific reconstruction activities to the single programming documents for Objective 5b. The possibility of doing something for the artistic and architectural heritage, production capacity and the reconstruction of rural villages will be assessed in this context.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3435/97 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (31 October 1997)

Subject: Drugs to treat Aids

Considerable breakthroughs are being made in the research aimed at eradicating Aids, most recently by a Naples University researcher who has managed, along with a German team, to replicate the HIV virus capable of stimulating the formation of antibodies, the first step towards the solution to the vaccine problem. However, bureaucracy is contriving to obstruct the new-generation drugs because of the delay in giving the go-ahead to testing. As many as 40 000 applications awaiting authorization are presently gathering dust at the pharmaceutical testing office.

Will the Commission draw up a Community Directive with a view to centralizing pharmaceutical testing of the new drugs for Aids by setting up a testing agency to coordinate the Member States' research systems?

Will it issue a Directive to reduce the waiting time entailed in obtaining permission for testing?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (16 December 1997)

Drugs for the treatment of Aids have, from its first appearance, mostly been developed through international cooperation, in particular to ensure their effectiveness and safety. The clinical testing required sometimes involves hospitals located in a number of different Member States. Clinical testing is carried out in accordance with international guidelines adopted by a special forum known as the 'International conference on harmonisation' (ICH), which has been meeting since 1990. These guidelines lay down the conditions under which experiments with the future drugs must be carried out. To meet public health requirements, to ensure the free movement of pharmaceutical products and to complete the Community legislation on the marketing authorisation for medicinal products, the Commission recently drew up a draft Council Directive ((OJ C 306, 8.10.1997. )), which is currently being discussed. The draft directive lays down rules for clinical testing at Community level and essentially lays down the guidelines to be followed by the Member States and certain ethical considerations with deadlines for the performance of experiments. This draft Directive completes the Annex to Council Directive 75/318/EEC, as amended by Commission Directive 91/507/EEC ((OJ L 270, 26.9.1991. )), and lays down rules for the content and presentation of clinical results submitted in support of applications for marketing authorisation. Lastly, it should be pointed out that most drugs for Aids are, by their very nature, innovative and have been or are being authorised under the centralised Community procedure provided for in Regulation (EEC) 2309/93, which reduces the period for the granting of marketing authorisation to a maximum of 210 days.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3965/97 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (5 December 1997)

Subject: Establishment of an inventory of Greek property in Istanbul with a view to 'development'

The Turkish Ministry of Finance has begun an inventory of all the ancient historic houses in Istanbul whose owners are considered unknown or cannot be traced with the object of developing these properties.

Since this procedure is a scheme to violate the property rights of Istanbul Greeks and given that the Commission stated in its reply of 5 March 1996 to a petition on this matter by Mrs Elpida Frangopoulou (305/94, PE 211.841/rev.) that it intended to make every effort to put the matter on the agenda of the next EU-Turkey Association Council meeting, will the Commission say:

1. Has the EU-Turkey Association Council considered the subject of this property, as the Commission promised? If so, how did the Turkish side react?

2. What measures does it intend to take to prevent the implementation of this recent decision by the Turkish Ministry of Finance targeting property belonging to Istanbul Greeks?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (19 January 1998)

The meeting of the EU-Turkey Association Council which had been planned for 25/26 March 1996 had to be cancelled a few days before it was due since the necessary political conditions for the meeting were not in place.

The EU-Turkey Association Council did not meet again until 29 April 1997, on which occasion it was not able to address the question of the property of Greek residents in Turkey.

The Commission has not been able to obtain confirmation of the Honourable Member's statement that the Turkish Finance Ministry is now carrying out an inventory of houses in Istanbul whose owners are considered unknown or who cannot be traced.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3612/97 by María Izquierdo Rojo (PSE) to the Council (7 November 1997)

Subject: European cultural capitals

On Tuesday 28 October 1997 the press in Granada published a report to the effect that the Spanish Government will submit applications from four Spanish cities for selection as cultural capitals of Europe, saying 'this government decision has been adopted after the meeting on 23 October between the Minister for Education and Culture, Esperanza Aguirre, and the Luxembourg Minister for Culture, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, as President-in-Office of the Council of Ministers for Culture and the Media of the European Union. The position of the European Commission regarding the criteria to be used to select the European cities of culture was also taken into account'.

In the interests of the need for transparency and information and the participation of the European Institutions, can the Council supply accurate and comprehensive information on the subject?

Answer (26 January 1998)

Pending the adoption and implementation of the Commission's recent proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision establishing a Community initiative for 'The European City of Culture' event, the matter is dealt with on an intergovernmental basis, and the selection of the European City of Culture for 2001 has to follow established practice.

As things stand, it is the Ministers 'meeting within the Council' who decide on the selection criteria and who have selected the European Cities of Culture since 1985 and until 2000.

The Spanish authorities wrote to the President-in-Office of the Council to inform her that four Spanish cities were candidates for the event (Valencia for 2001, Salamanca for 2002, Granada for 2003 and Barcelona for 2004) and in doing so they followed long-standing practice.

In the interests of transparency the Presidency organized a seminar at Bourglinster on 7 and 8 November 1997, which was attended by representatives of the European Parliament (the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Culture took part in the proceedings) and representatives of the cities competing for the 2001 event, the Member States and the Commission.

The discussions which took place at that seminar should facilitate the Ministers' choice.

The European Parliament will soon be able to play its role to the full, when it debates the new proposal for a Decision tabled by the Commission.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3482/97 by Panayotis Lambrias (PPE) to the Commission (31 October 1997)

Subject: Involvement of private individuals in monitoring the application of Community law

The Commission has acknowledged on numerous occasions that the application of Community law calls for vigilance on the part of private individuals, bringing matters to the attention of the Union's Institutions by exercising their right to complain to the relevant administrative services. However, in the past, the volume of complaints has led to administrative failings in investigating the problems involved. Will the Commission, therefore, say whether it has planned to take a more systematic approach so that individuals' rights in this respect are not undermined?

Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (18 December 1997)

Complaints from individuals are certainly one of the main sources on which the Commission bases itself when monitoring the application of Community law (the Honourable Member is referred to Annex I, Table 1.1 of the annual reports on monitoring the application of Community law).

On the other hand, the Commission does not know which case the Honourable Member has in mind when he speaks of 'administrative failings in investigating the problems involved' and of ensuring that 'individuals' rights in this respect are not undermined'.

Every complaint lodged with the Commission is duly recorded and examined.

Infringement proceedings are initiated in all cases where the examination of a complaint leads the Commission to suspect that a Member State is in breach of the Community rules. Only where no such suspicions are warranted does the Commission consider the matter closed and inform the complainant accordingly.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3733/97 by Yves Verwaerde (PPE) to the Commission (21 November 1997)

Subject: Celebration of 100 years of cinema

Would the Commission inform me of the support given by the European Union, in financial terms, to celebration of 100 years of cinema and provide me with a breakdown of the appropriations granted for this purpose?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (13 February 1998)

In accordance with the Council Resolution of 5 November 1993 ((OJ C 85, 22.3.1994. )) calling on the Commission to continue and expand its activities to commemorate the 1995 centenary of the cinema, particularly as part of its action in support of film festivals, a call for proposals was published for 'European Commission support for projects to mark the centenary of the cinema' ((OJ C 258, 15.9.1994. )). This generated almost 300 applications for financial support which a board of independent experts sifted through in January 1995. Support was focused on a few large-scale, high-impact projects. It was implemented through heading B3-2011 of the 1995 budget ('European dimension of the audiovisual industry'). The list of projects selected is being sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.

Events relating to the centenary had already been financed in 1994 as part of the support for film festivals, with ECU 62 491 being granted (heading B3-2011).
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3648/97 by Armelle Guinebertière (UPE) to the Commission (19 November 1997)

Subject: Unfair competition because of the VAT system

A French supplier of material for rabbit breeders is disadvantaged by the VAT system which is applied differently depending on whether the supplier is French or a national of another state of the Union.

In the latter case the material is sold tax-free for delivery at the beginning of 1998; the breeder will not declare his VAT until the beginning of 1999 and will not pay the 20.6% VAT for 12 to 18 months, the French state acting as intermediary.

If, however, the material is bought from a French supplier the breeder must pay the VAT on acquisition.

There then arises a situation of unfair competition caused by the French tax authorities to the disadvantage of French contractors.

How will the Commission ensure more favourable conditions of competition, specifically as regards the application of VAT?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (6 January 1998)

The situation described by the Honourable Member is the result of differences between the rules that apply to intra-Community trade and those that apply to sales effected within the territory of a Member State.

Although, in accordance with the basic principles underlying the operation of the VAT system, only the taxable person selling goods or services assumes the charges and obligations necessary to ensure proper application of the system, the transitional VAT arrangements provide for a derogation from those principles in the case of intra-Community sales of goods and render the buyer liable for the VAT payable in the Member State of arrival of the goods. In certain extreme situations, the resulting difference in tax treatment is prejudicial to domestic sales within a Member State.

In its report on the transitional VAT arrangements for intra-Community trade ((COM(94) 515 final. )), the Commission drew attention to the damage done by those arrangements to the essential features of VAT. In its communication A common system of VAT: A programme for the single market ((COM(96) 328 final. )), the Commission, after describing the limitations

of the current system, proposed among other things the abolition of any distinction between domestic and intra-Community transactions and a stage-by-stage programme for moving to the new common system of VAT. The proposals to be made by the Commission within the framework of its work programme should, therefore, resolve the problems raised.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3805/97 by José Apolinário (PSE) to the Commission (26 November 1997)

Subject: EAGGF - Guideline and tourism

In view of the Commission's reply to my question E-2036/97 ((OJ C 391, 23.12.1997, p. 151. )) on the breakdown of ERDF activity by Member State, can the Commission provide me with the same information with regard to the EAGGF - Guideline, namely the sums assigned to tourism within the various operational programmes in each of the Community support frameworks in each of the Member States?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (19 January 1998)

The promotion of rural and on-farm tourism is one measure part-financed by the Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) in most operational programmes under Objectives 1 and 5(b), in the Leader Community Initiative and also where included in improvement plans under Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 950/97 of 20 May 1997 on improving the efficiency of agricultural structures ((OJ L 142, 2.6.1997. )).

However, tourism operations are contained in subprogrammes combining several measures (diversification and rural development in particular), so it is not possible to identify the appropriations intended for tourism or provide a quantitative breakdown by Member State.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3790/97 by Ian White (PSE) to the Commission (26 November 1997)

Subject: Rubbish treatment plant at Casares

Has the Commission considered the scale, siting and methods of rubbish treatment for the proposed plant at Casares (Malaga), Andalucia, Spain, in the light of the alternative Environment Impact Assessment supplied to it by concerned residents, which forecasts the serious pollution of water courses from leachates of the proposed dump?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (16 December 1997)

A petition regarding a proposed waste management plant in Casares, Spain was formally transmitted to the Parliament and forwarded to the Commission under reference No 1026/96 in 1996.

By letter of 30 July 1997 the Commission requested further information from the Spanish authorities concerning the above petition. The Commission requested information regarding the measures foreseen to ensure that waste going to the waste treatment plant and dump at Casares will be disposed of without danger to human health and the environment, taking into account applicable Community legislation, such as Directive 75/442/EEC on waste ((OJ L 194, 15.7.1975. )) as amended by Directive 91/156/EEC ((OJ L 78, 26.3.1991. )) and Directive 89/369/EEC on the prevention of air pollution from new municipal waste incineration plants ((OJ L 163, 14.6.1989. )). The Commission has not yet received a reply from the Spanish authorities.

As mentioned by the Honourable Member, the Commission received documents from local residents. The Commission will consider these documents together with the answer from the Spanish authorities when this answer is available.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3626/97 by Luciano Vecchi (PSE) to the Commission (13 November 1997)

Subject: Guarantees required in respect of participation in the employment initiative in Denmark

As has already been pointed out in earlier questions, the Italian authorities' decision to require non-profit-making undertakings to provide bank guarantees in order to participate in employment initiatives has proved costly and punitive for undertakings which obviously have difficulty in providing financial guarantees of their own.

Given that such matters are subject to different regulations in the various Member States of the Union, would the Commission state whether Denmark requires non-profit-making undertakings (and, in general, firms in the cooperative, mutual and non-profit sector) to provide financial or bank guarantees and, if so, on what terms?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-3624/97, E-3625/97, E-3626/97, E-3627/97, E-3628/97, E-3629/97, E-3630/97, E-3631/97, E-3632/97, E-3633/97, E-3634/97, E-3635/97, E-3636/97 and E-3637/97 given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (30 January 1998)

The Commission has no information on the obligation imposed by Member States on non-profit organisations to provide a bank guarantee in order to gain access to funding under the various Community programmes. This is a matter of national law.

As regards the granting of subsidies under the Employment initiative, it is up to the national authorities which sign the agreements with the project promoters to require bank guarantees in accordance with the national rules in force. In Austria, Germany, Greece, Portugal and Spain, such guarantees are not normally required from potential promoters to gain access to the Employment initiative.

While it is true that the provision of a bank guarantee may be an additional burden, particularly for enterprises operating in the context of the social economy, it is nonetheless true that this is essential when the consequences of failing to fulfil a contractual obligation may exceed the debtor's financial means.

The Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities of 21 December 1977 ((OJ L 356, 31.12.1977. )), as last amended ((OJ L 240, 7.6.1995. )), requires the provision of security by contractors when very large contracts are awarded or when subsidies are granted for the performance of projects involving high sums. However, the majority of non-profit associations are rarely affected by this obligation, given the small scale of the projects they propose.