WouldthisnotbeincontraventionofCouncilDirective89/48/EEC(1)of21December1988onageneral
systemfortherecognitionofhighereducationdiplomasawardedoncompletionofprofessionaleducationandtraining?
IstheproposedDirectiveonrecognitionofprofessionalqualifications(
2)goingtoeliminatethisanomaly,
particularlysinceFrenchteachersareabletoteachintheUnitedKingdomwithoutsuchanadditionalexamination?
(1) OJL19,24.1.1989,p.16.
(2) COM(2002)119final.
AnswergivenbyMrBolkesteinonbehalfoftheCommission
(10October2003)
TheCourtofJusticehasjustdeliveredajudgmentinacaseconcerningapreliminaryruling(CaseC-285/
01‘Burbaud’),whichmayprovidesomeclarificationofCommunityrulesgoverningtheissueraisedbytheHonourable Member. The Commission is currently examining the judgment and will provide theHonourableMemberwithananswerassoonasthisanalysishasbeencompleted.
(2004/C58E/200) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2607/03
byOlivierDupuis(NI)totheCommission
(25August2003)
Subject:ThichTriLuc,amonkkidnappedinPhnomPenhandrediscoveredinaVietnameseprison
ExactlyayearagoInotifiedtheCommissionofthedisappearanceoftheBuddhistmonkThichTriLuc,a
member of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), a banned organisation, who had beenkidnappedinPhnomPenhafterseekingasyluminCambodia.Aged49,ThichTriLuc(secularnamePhamVanTuong)hadfledfromVietnamtoescapereligiouspersecution.Thetenyearsthatfollowedhisfirstarrestin1992wereaseriesofharassments,imprisonmentandhousearrestforsupportingtheUBCV.Thestatusofrefugee,grantedbythePhnomPenhofficeoftheUNHighCommissionerforRefugeesinJune2002,didnotpreventhiskidnappinginthenightof25Julybyunidentifiedindividuals.BothVietnamandCambodiahaddeniedhavinganyinformationonhisabductionanddisappearanceandtheHCRwasunabletoobtainanyinformationastohisplight.ThichTriLuchasnowresurfaced,notasafreepersonprotected by the United Nations, but as a prisoner awaiting trial behind bars in a Vietnamese jail.AccordingtotheVietnameseHumanRightsCommittee,‘afterayearwithoutnewshisfamilyhasreceivedashortmessagefromthePeople’sCourtinHoChiMinhCityinvitingthemtoattendthetrialofPhamVanTuong’.Scheduledfor1August,thetrialhasbeenpostponedwithoutsettingadate.Hisfamilydoesnotknowwhereheisbeingheld,orthechargesagainsthim,andhasnotbeenallowedtovisithim.Duringthisillegalandsecretimprisonment,whichhaslasted12months,ThichTriLuchasbeensubjected
notonlytoseriouspsychologicalandphysicalpressurebuthasalsobeendeniedtherighttoafairtrial,as
hehasbeenunabletocontactalawyerandpreparehisdefence.AsheisbothaprisonerofconscienceandamemberofaChurchthatisstillbannedheislikelytoreceiveaverylongprisonsentence.
DoestheCommissionknowthatThichTriLucwaskidnappedandforciblyrepatriatedinspiteofhis
refugeestatus,andthathehasbeendetainedinsecretinVietnamforoverayear?IsitawareofthechargesagainstThichTriLuc,andhasitaskedforitsrepresentativeinHanoitobeallowedtovisithiminprisonandattendhistrial?WhatrepresentationswilltheCommissionbemakingtopreventthecontinualviolation by the Cambodian and Vietnamese authorities of international laws governing the status ofrefugees,particularlytheprincipleof‘non-refoulement’ofpersonswhosefreedomisatthreatintheirowncountrybecauseoftheirreligion,raceorpoliticalopinions?ShouldnottheseviolationsbytheHanoiandPhnomPenhauthoritiesinducetheCommissiontoadoptsanctionsunderthehumanrightsclauseintheEU’sCooperationAgreementswithVietnamandCambodia?C58E/186 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
AnswergivenbyMrPattenonbehalfoftheCommission
(18September2003)
TheCommissionreactedwithconcerntothedisappearancefromCambodiaofThichTriLuc,aRefugee
undertheprotectionoftheUnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees(UNHCR),inJuly2002.Theexactcircumstances,underwhichheleftCambodiaandcameintopolicecustodyinVietnamhavenotbeenclarified.TheCommissionhasnotyetreceivedanyreplytoitsrequesttotheVietnameseauthoritiesforfurtherinformationonThichTriLuc.NorhastheCommissionconfirmationyetoftheexactchargesthattheVietnameseauthoritiesnowlayagainsthim.Inthepast,theUnionPresidencyhasrepeatedlyrequestedthattheauthoritiesofVietnamallowUniondiplomatstoattendtrialsofPersonsofconcern.So far the authorities of Vietnam have not allowed foreign diplomats to attend any of these trials.
TheCommissionwillcontinuetofollowthiscase,viaitsDelegationinHanoiandinclosecollaboration
withtheMemberStates.
TheCommissionwouldliketorecallthatitattachesgreatimportancetotherightsoffreedomofreligion,
belief, expression and of a fair trial. The Union has repeatedly affirmed that human rights anddemocratisation must form an integral part of all political dialogues with third countries. Religiousfreedom,asoneofthefundamentalhumanrights,areaddressedthroughtheUnion’sbilateralpoliticaldialogues,and,whenappropriate,throughdémarchesandpublicdeclarations,aswellasthroughUnionactioninforasuchastheUnitedNationsCommissiononHumanRightsortheThirdCommitteeoftheUnited Nations General Assembly. The reference to the respect for Human Rights and democraticprinciples in the Community-Co-operation Agreements with Vietnam and Cambodia enables theCommission to address human rights issues in its bilateral contacts with the Governments of thesecountries.
The Commissionwould like to reiterate that its overall policy towards Vietnam is to encourage and
supportprogressonhumanrightsanddemocratisation,andtoraiseconcernswhereabusesoccurorwhereadeteriorationinthesituationbecomesevident.TheCommission,throughitsDelegationinHanoi,workscloselywiththeMemberStatestomonitorhumanrightsdevelopmentsinthecountry,participatesinallUniondémarchestotheGovernmentofVietnamonhumanrightsissues.
(2004/C58E/201) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2611/03
byProinsiasDeRossa(PSE)totheCommission
(28August2003)
Subject:WorkinghoursandtheSIMAPcase(CaseC-303/98)of3October2000
InitsanswertoWrittenQuestionE-3515/02(1)givenon2December2002,theCommissionsaidthatit
haddecidedtoissueaninvitationtotenderforastudyofthescopeandconsequencesoftheSIMAPcaseforMemberStates.
InitsanswertoWrittenQuestionE-0535/03(
2)givenon24March2003,theCommissionsaidthatthe
invitationtotenderhadbeenissuedforthisstudyandthatameetingwithnationalexpertshadalready
takenplaceontheimplicationsofthejudgment.
WhydidtheCommissionwaitforalmost2½yearsbeforeissuingtheinvitationtotenderforthisstudy?Whendoesitenvisagetheresultsofthisstudybeingcompletedandmadepublic?Doesitbelievethatthis
shouldbedonebeforeitpublishesitsCommunicationonworkingtimeduebytheendof2003which,ithasalreadyindicated,willaddresstheimplicationsoftheSIMAPjudgement?
Given that the Irish Government has already failed to meet the 1August 2003 deadline for the
transposition into Irish law of some elements of Directive 2000/34/EC(
3), which extends the 1993
WorkingTimeDirectivetotheexcludedsectors,whatviewswerepresentedbytheIrishGovernment’s
representativeatthemeetingofnationalexpertsreferredtobytheCommissioninitsanswertoWritten
QuestionE-0535/03?
(1) OJC110E,8.5.2003,p.217.
(2) OJC192E,14.8.2003,p.199.
(3) OJL195,1.8.2000,p.41.6.3.2004EN C58E/187 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion