ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/402

(2004/C 88 E/0408)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2357/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(17 July 2003)

Subject: Violation of religious freedom against Muslims in Uzbekistan

Given that:

— on 17 June about 50 women met in Namangan to call for the release of their husbands, who are ‘prisoners of conscience’, imprisoned because of their Muslim faith;

— Misor Ubaidulaeva, one of the demonstrators, is complaining about the conditions in which her husband is detained. He is beaten daily and has now lost his hearing because of the blows he has received;

— the local police do not deny that they have put pressure on her to sign a written statement promising that she will not take part in any more ‘unlawful meetings’.

In view of the excellent economic and commercial cooperation relations between the European Union and Uzbekistan can the Commission say:

— whether it is aware of the facts outlined above;

— what steps it will take, in the context of cooperation relations, as a serious and effective means of inducing Uzbekistan to respect religious freedom?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(14 August 2003)

The Commission is fully aware of the very difficult conditions facing Muslims in Uzbekistan. The Commission is aware of this meeting in Namangan and is following the situation carefully.

The EU/Uzbekistan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement provides the appropriate framework for the discussion of such issues.

The Commission will continue to raise the question of religious freedom with the Uzbek authorities at each bilateral meeting.
EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/747

(2004/C 78 E/0794)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2584/03

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Council

(8 August 2003)

Subject: Import of timber from Indonesia

What measures does the Presidency intend to take to combat the illegal import of timber from Indonesia?

Reply

(4 March 2004)

The Council attaches particular importance to combating the illegal import of timber and recognises the need for the EU to contribute to global efforts to tackle the problem of illegal logging.

Council bodies are therefore currently studying the Communication from the Commission on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT), which contains an EU Action Plan aimed notably at combating illegal logging and the associated trade in illegal timber.

In the conclusions adopted on 13 October 2003, the Council considered that there was an urgent need for the EU and its Member States to enter into a political dialogue with the countries most directly concerned to instigate forest sector governance reforms and, more specifically, to engage the private sector of the timber producing countries with a view to building a consensus on how best to tackle the problem of illegal logging and the associated trade, in particular by exploring multilateral and regional responses and by studying the ideas developed in the Action Plan at the appropriate international meetings, such as the UNFF (United Nations Forum on Forests), the ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization), the regional FLEG processes, the Asia Forest Partnership and the Congo Basin Forest Partnership.

Furthermore, in its conclusions the Council invited the Commission to study the measures in the Action Plan, including the drawing up of a Regulation, and to review options for, and the feasibility of, further legislation to control imports of illegally harvested timber and conflict timber, taking account of relevant initiatives in other areas, as well as the impact on domestic industries.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1257/98 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Commission (21 April 1998)

Subject: Enlargement - control of external frontiers - transitional periods

One of the four basic freedoms of the European Communities is the free movement of persons, implementation of which is to be achieved, inter alia, by the abolition of internal frontier controls. At the same time, however, increasing importance is being attached to the need for appropriate measures to guarantee the security of individuals, which is to be secured through the area of freedom, security and law. Subsidiary measures to accompany the opening of the internal frontiers are seen as crucial. Efficient control of the external frontiers is repeatedly deemed to be one of those subsidiary measures.

1. Does the Commission believe that any applicant countries already meet existing EU standards for the control of external frontiers?

2. If not, what shortcomings are particularly manifest, and on which studies does the Commission base its view?

3. How does the Commission feel that it will be able to eliminate these shortcomings?

4. Does the Commission take the view that transitional periods are sensible in this connection, and of what length does it feel such transitional periods should realistically be?

In answering the above questions, please concentrate on the countries likely to figure in the first wave of accessions and use data from the period following the submission of Agenda 2000 in July 1997.

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (27 May 1998)

In accordance with the decisions of the Amsterdam and Luxembourg European Councils, the applicant countries must meet the Schengen standards regarding external frontier controls. The Schengen acquis is currently being formulated in the Council.

It will be possible to provide detailed answers to the questions put only when the Council has established the Schengen acquis and has examined the extent to which the applicant countries have adopted it.

Nevertheless, on the basis of what has been established so far, the Commission considers that in certain respects the applicant countries still have to make considerable efforts to ensure the security of the external frontiers.

It is primarily the responsibility of the applicant countries to eliminate the shortcomings. The Commission will, however, support such efforts with the existing Community programmes, especially PHARE.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0797/96 by Hartmut Nassauer (PPE) to the Council (12 April 1996)

Subject: Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes, adopted on 26 July 1995

For each Member State, will the Council give the progress of ratification procedures as at 1 March 1996 for the Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes, adopted on 26 July 1995 ((OJ C 316, 27.11.1995, p. 33. )).

Reply (27 June 1996)

The Council can state that at 1 March 1996 no Member State had notified the General Secretariat of the Council of its completion of the procedures required for adoption of the Convention. Under Article 26(2) of the Convention the Secretary-General is required to publish information on the progress of the Convention's adoption in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
30. 10. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 276/37 
CORRIGENDA 
Corrigendum to the answer to Written Question No 1613/88 by Mr Bryan Cassidy to the Commission of the 
European Communities 
(Official Journal of the European Communities No C138 of 5 June 1989) 
Subject: Distillation into alcohol of surplus apples 
(89/C 276/64) 
Page 32, the answer reads as follows: 
The Honourable Member will find the information requested below: 
Year 
1983/84 
1984/85 
1985/86 
1986/87 Total quantity 
withdrawn 
(tonnes) 
125 298 
660 902 
184 533 
354 089 Quantity distilled (tonnes) 
Total 
70 367 
182 385 
50 457 
72 951 D 
4 208 
24 755 F 
9 321 I 
70 367 
168 856 
50 457 
48 196 Financial 
compensation 
(million 
ecu) 
(') 
14,695 
70,980 
22,073 
42,188 Income 
(million 
ecu) 
0 
0,944 
2,108 
0,650 
0,060 
(') Financial compensation: total withdrawal premiums paid to producers. 
O Net income from sales of apples for distillation. This income reduces the cost of withdrawals chargeable to the 
EAGGF. 
The Commission does not yet have all the figures for 1987/88. 
Neither does it have figures for the quantities of alcohol obtained by distillation. It is generally 
assumed that 100 kilograms of apples produce 5 litres of alcohol. However, this ratio varies greatly 
depending on the variety of apple, the year and the method of distillation. 
Apples are withdrawn in all Member States.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1980/95 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Council (10 July 1995)

Subject: Arrangements for dealing with EU citizens arrested in other Member States

Thousands of EU citizens are in jails in Member States of which they are not nationals. Many of these are awaiting trial, often for minor offences, and cannot, under current arrangements, be released on bail as they probably would be were they under arrest in their own countries. Others have been sentenced but cannot be transferred to jails in their own countries because they are unable to pay the fines which have also been imposed on them.

Will the Council consider action in the context of Title VI of the Treaty of Maastricht to harmonize bail and sentencing arrangements in the Member States, and thus eliminate discrimination between EU citizens arrested in their own Member States and those awaiting trial or serving sentences in other Member States?

Reply (10 October 1996)

The Council reaffirms its wish to step up judicial cooperation between the Member States, in particular in criminal matters.

With regard to the question put by the Honourable Member, the Council wishes to state that it is now in the process of setting priorities in the sphere of judicial cooperation. In that context, it intends firstly to finalize the proceedings which have been under way for some time.

This applies to the draft Convention on Extradition and the draft Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. After the conclusion of those proceedings, the Council will examine other questions which may be considered important for judicial cooperation between the Member States, in particular those mentioned by the Honourable Member.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0685/95 by Peter Crampton (PSE) to the Commission (10 March 1995)

Subject: Commission proposals in the field of agriculture and rural development, 1994

How many proposals for legislation and regulations in the area of agriculture and rural development in 1994 originated with the Commission?

Supplementary joint answer to Written Questions E-0662/95, E-0663/95, E-0664/95, E-0665/95, E-0666/95 E-0667/95, E-0668/95, E-0669/95, E-0670/95, E-0671/95, E-0672/95, E-0673/95, E-0674/95, E-0675/95, E-0676/95, E-0677/95, E-0678/95, E-0679/95, E-0680/95, E-0681/95, E-0682/95, E-0683/95, E-0684/95, E-0685/95, E-0686/95, E-0687/95, E-0688/95, E-0689/95, E-0690/95 and E-0691/95 given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (15 November 1996)

Further to its answer of 10 April 1995, the Commission can now give the following information.

The table below gives the number of proposals for legislation transmitted by the Commission in 1994 for adoption in the various areas to which the Honourable Member's questions relate.

Some were designed to implement new measures and others to update earlier legislation. They may also relate to the management of certain common policies (for example, commercial policy, common agricultural policy, fisheries, customs union).

Consolidation proposals are also included. Proposals amending proposals transmitted earlier are not included.

The statistics and list are taken from the Commission's APC database, to which Members of the European Parliament can have access, like the other institutions and the public.

>TABLE>
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0689/95 by Peter Crampton (PSE) to the Commission (10 March 1995)

Subject: Commission proposals in the field of tourism, 1994

How many proposals for legislation and regulations in the field of tourism were put forward by the Commission in 1994?

Supplementary joint answer to Written Questions E-0662/95, E-0663/95, E-0664/95, E-0665/95, E-0666/95 E-0667/95, E-0668/95, E-0669/95, E-0670/95, E-0671/95, E-0672/95, E-0673/95, E-0674/95, E-0675/95, E-0676/95, E-0677/95, E-0678/95, E-0679/95, E-0680/95, E-0681/95, E-0682/95, E-0683/95, E-0684/95, E-0685/95, E-0686/95, E-0687/95, E-0688/95, E-0689/95, E-0690/95 and E-0691/95 given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (15 November 1996)

Further to its answer of 10 April 1995, the Commission can now give the following information.

The table below gives the number of proposals for legislation transmitted by the Commission in 1994 for adoption in the various areas to which the Honourable Member's questions relate.

Some were designed to implement new measures and others to update earlier legislation. They may also relate to the management of certain common policies (for example, commercial policy, common agricultural policy, fisheries, customs union).

Consolidation proposals are also included. Proposals amending proposals transmitted earlier are not included.

The statistics and list are taken from the Commission's APC database, to which Members of the European Parliament can have access, like the other institutions and the public.

>TABLE>
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0673/95 by Peter Crampton (PSE) to the Commission (10 March 1995)

Subject: Commission proposals in the field of internal market, 1994

How many proposals for legislation and regulations in the field of the internal market were put forward by the Commission in 1994?

Supplementary joint answer to Written Questions E-0662/95, E-0663/95, E-0664/95, E-0665/95, E-0666/95 E-0667/95, E-0668/95, E-0669/95, E-0670/95, E-0671/95, E-0672/95, E-0673/95, E-0674/95, E-0675/95, E-0676/95, E-0677/95, E-0678/95, E-0679/95, E-0680/95, E-0681/95, E-0682/95, E-0683/95, E-0684/95, E-0685/95, E-0686/95, E-0687/95, E-0688/95, E-0689/95, E-0690/95 and E-0691/95 given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (15 November 1996)

Further to its answer of 10 April 1995, the Commission can now give the following information.

The table below gives the number of proposals for legislation transmitted by the Commission in 1994 for adoption in the various areas to which the Honourable Member's questions relate.

Some were designed to implement new measures and others to update earlier legislation. They may also relate to the management of certain common policies (for example, commercial policy, common agricultural policy, fisheries, customs union).

Consolidation proposals are also included. Proposals amending proposals transmitted earlier are not included.

The statistics and list are taken from the Commission's APC database, to which Members of the European Parliament can have access, like the other institutions and the public.

>TABLE>
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0182/96 by Bernd Lange (PSE) to the Council (7 February 1996)

Subject: Interpretation of Article 109j(4) of the Treaty on European Union

The current debate on monetary union often gives the impression that Article 109j(4) of the Treaty on European Union is ambiguous. The words '... the third stage shall start on 1 January 1999' in the first sentence seem particularly open to interpretation.

1. Does the above wording in fact mean that the third stage is to start on the said date, with all that this entails, or could it be taken to mean that only the initial preparations for the third stage are to begin then?

2. Does this mean that 1 January 1999 is definitely the start date for the third stage?

3. What will the implications be if the Council cannot decide by a qualified majority in 1998 which Member States are to take part in monetary union from the outset?

4. In what circumstances would the Treaty have to be amended, were monetary union to be postponed?

Reply (20 May 1996)

1. and 2. The first sentence of Article 109j(4) of the EC Treaty stipulates that 'if by the end of 1997 the date for the beginning of the third stage has not been set, the third stage shall start on 1 January 1999.'

The European Council in Madrid confirmed that '1 January 1999 will be the starting date for Stage 3 of Economic and Monetary Union, in accordance with the convergence criteria, timetable, protocols and procedures laid down in the Treaty.'

The full exercise of the powers of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank will start from the first day of the third stage (TEC Article 1091(1), last sentence). On the same day, the Council will adopt the conversion rates at which Member States' currencies are to be irrevocably fixed and at which irrevocably fixed rate the euro is to be substituted for these currencies; the euro will become a currency in its own right (Article 109l(4)).

3. The Protocol on the transition to the third stage of economic and monetary union annexed to the Treaty lays down that 'all Member States shall, whether they fulfil the necessary conditions for the adoption of a single currency or not, respect the will for the Community to enter swiftly into the third stage, and therefore no Member State shall prevent the entering into the third stage.'
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0114/96 by Antonio Tajani (UPE) to the Council (30 January 1996)

Subject: Religious sects

Quasi-religious sects are a growing phenomenon. A number of statistical surveys have revealed that some six hundred new cults spring up in Europe every year, and there are apparently over eight hundred sects of this type in Italy.

Some esoteric groups operate by means of coercion, observing a totally rigid code of conduct whereby adherents have to be completely bound by the obligations to the 'community' to which they belong and frequently undergo moral subjugation, brainwashing, or other methods aimed at erasing the individual personality.

In Italy groups of disciples are in reality being swindled, enslaved, or lured into prostitution. One practice which has become widespread in Rome in particular is 'black hiring' (i.e. without regard to the law or union rules), a system of labour exploitation based not least on tribal forms of religious obedience.

It is this feverish lifestyle that has led whole groups of people in Switzerland, France, Jamaica, and Japan to take their human, social, and political isolation to its ultimate conclusion, namely mass suicide.

Does the Council not believe that the situations described above are blatantly contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms? If so, what action does it intend to take?

Reply (20 May 1996)

The Honourable Member is requested to refer to the reply given by the Council on 28 February 1996 to the Oral Questions, with debate, on the same subject.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-0314/96 by Jannis Sakellariou (PSE) to the Council (7 February 1996)

Subject: Disappearances in Tibet

1. Has the Council recently taken any diplomatic steps to obtain information on the fate of Mr Chadrel Rinpoche, abbot of the Tashi Lunpo monastery, who was detained on 18 May 1995?

2. What diplomatic steps has the Council taken to safeguard the life and ensure the safety of the six-year-old child Gedhun Chaekyi Nyima, who is recognized by the Dalai Lama as the new Panchen Lama?

3. What activities would the Council like to undertake in view of the Chinese Government's decision to recognize another child as the new Panchen Lama? Does the Council not regard this action by the Chinese Government as blatant interference in the religious affairs of the Tibetans, seeing that this recognition was even accompanied by unequivocal threats against the Tibetan Buddhist community in occupied Tibet?

Reply (20 May 1996)

The question of the fate of the young Panchen Lama designated by the Dalai Lama and his tutor, Mr Rinpoche, was the main topic of the expert discussions on human rights between the EU and China which were held from 21 to 25 January 1996 in Peking. The Chinese authorities replied that Gedhun Chaekyi Nyima was being well treated and was in a safe place, but that his whereabouts could only be made known with the prior agreement of the young Panchen Lama himself. As for Mr Rinpoche, he was said to be in hospital in a place unspecified.

The EU thinks these replies unsatisfactory and reserves the right to take further steps and action in the very near future on this matter.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0230/96 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (9 February 1996)

Subject: Use of asbestos in fireproof uniforms worn by Greek firemen

It has been repeatedly demonstrated that asbestos in all its forms is a dangerous substance owing to its carcinogenic properties. In Greece, the fireproof uniforms worn by firemen still contain asbestos.

1. Does any substitute exist for these uniforms?

2. What arrangements exist in other Member States of the European Union, and what measures will be taken at Community level to enable users to dispense with such uniforms to protect them from the dangers to which they are exposed?

3. Does the Commission consider that the scope of Directive 87/217/EEC should be extended to cover the use of asbestos as in fireproof uniforms?

Answer given by Mr.Flynn on behalf of the Commission (19 March 1996)

The Commission is aware that some fireproof uniforms worn by firemen still contain asbestos.

1. Replacing asbestos with other non dangerous or less dangerous substances is a well known preventative principle which figures, for example, in Council Directive 90/394/EEC ((OJ L 196, 26.7.1990. )) on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to carcinogens at work.

Replacing asbestos in fireproof uniforms worn by firemen is technically possible if the exposure temperature is not exceedingly high. However, for those temperatures often reached during a fire involving chemical agents, asbestos would still appear to be the only possible solution.

2. The Commission does not have information on the situation in Member States, but would point out that in optimal conditions fabrics which contain asbestos are produced in a such way so as to incorporate the asbestos into the fabric with chemical substances which prevent it from being discharged into the air. It is only in the event of these uniforms being poorly maintained that a real risk of exposure can arise and endanger the health of the workers.

3. With regard to a possible extension of Council Directive 87/217/EEC ((OJ L 85, 28.3.1987. )) on the prevention and reduction of environmental pollution by asbestos for it to include the use of asbestos in the making of these uniforms, it is to be noted that in Article 2 of the aforementioned Directive 'use of asbestos' means activities which involve the handling of a quantity of more than 100 kilograms of raw asbestos per year and which concern:

a) the production of raw asbestos ore asociated with the exposure from mining, or

b) the manufacturing and industrial finishing of certain industrial products including asbestos textiles.

Subsequent use of these products does not come under the scope of Council Directive 87/217/EEC.