ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1960/97 by Katerina Daskalaki (UPE) to the Commission (29 May 1997)

Subject: Violation of the rights of Eleni Fokas, a teacher in a Greek enclave in northern Cyprus

Eleni Fokas, a Greek Cypriot teacher in an enclave in the occupied northern part of Cyprus, is seriously ill and requires medical treatment in the free area of the island. The occupying regime is blackmailing her and threatening to prevent her from returning unless she signs illegal documents stating that she recognizes Denktash' s pseudo-state.

Will the Commission say whether it intends to intervene both in this case and in other related flagrant human rights violations involving the very few Greek Cypriots remaining in the occupied part of Cyprus, given that:

1. Cyprus is a candidate for EU accession; and

2. Turkey which dictates the actions and policies of the Denktash regime is a country linked to the EU by a Customs Union agreement?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (18 June 1997)

According to the information received by the Commission, Ms Fokas was recently authorised to go to the southern part of the island for treatment. According to the same information, Ms Fokas did not have to sign any documents on leaving the northern part of the island.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1724/97 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (11 May 1997)

Subject: Action by the Turkish authorities in blocking European Union funds intended for the Turkish Human Rights Association

Despite repeated admonitions by the European Union concerning respect for human rights in Turkey, the Ministry of the Interior has sent a circular to Turkish banks calling on them to freeze all financial aid for Turkish human rights organizations.

The Agricultural Bank of Turkey has accordingly withheld from the Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) Commission appropriations earmarked for the teaching of human rights to young people, pursuant to Article 60 of the Act concerning unions and associations to the effect that organizations wishing to receive assistance from natural or legal persons or other organizations are required to obtain prior authorization from the Ministry of the Interior. The Human Rights Association has requested clarification from the Agricultural Bank and the release of the frozen funds but received no reply and therefore intends to institute legal proceedings, fearing that this action by the Turkish authorities may discourage the European Union from providing it with financial aid in future.

1. What pressure will the Commission bring to bear on the Turkish authorities to ensure that they cease freezing aid intended for human rights organizations in Turkey, a country which enjoys a special relationship with the European Union (Customs Union)? Will it ensure that the matter is raised at the forthcoming meeting of the Association Council?

2. Can it give assurances that it will continue to provide direct aid in future to national human rights associations in Turkey?

3. What pressures will it bring to bear with a view to the abolition of Article 60 of the Turkish Act referred to above and all other articles used to undermine respect for human rights in Turkey?

Reply given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (10 June 1997)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member's concern about respect for human rights in Turkey.

The Commission is aware of the blocking of funds referred to by the Honourable Member and has accordingly instructed its Representation in Ankara to undertake a démarche to the Turkish authorities.

The Commission will inform the Turkish Foreign Minister of its opinion of Article 60 of the Law on Associations namely, that it is unacceptable because it runs counter to human rights and the right of association.

The Commission assures the Honourable Member that it is determined to continue to support non-governmental organizations working to defend and promote human rights in Turkey.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1498/97 by Pervenche Berès (PSE) to the Commission (30 April 1997)

Subject: Energy - pollutants

Can the Commission provide a table indicating the amounts of the various pollutants (CO2, gas leaked, by country of origin and mode of transmission, nitrogen and sulphur, etc.) emitted by power stations, broken down according to the energy source used?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission (18 June 1997)

The relative importance of energy sources used for power generation with respect to environmental emissions depends on both emission factors and the technology for abating emissions like desulphurisation equipment or low nitrogen oxides (NOx) burners. For carbon dioxide (CO2) there are at present no economic options for emission removal.

In order to show the differences in emissions between input fuels for power generation, the following ratios for CO2 per tera joule (TJ) of fuel input were calculated on the basis of energy and CO2 statistics for 1995:

>TABLE>

In this comparison gas includes derived gas from coke ovens and blast furnaces. The emission factor for natural gas is lower (at some 56 tonnes CO2/TJ).

The following emission ratios in power generations for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) stem from a modelling exercise in the framework of the study 'European energy to 2020 - A scenario approach'. The emission ratios relate to 1995.

kg/TJ

>TABLE>

(CH4) emissions due to leakages in gas distribution and during production cannot be attributed to power generation and other gas uses. Therefore, this gas ratio does not include (CH4) emissions upstream to power generation. This is also the case for all other pollutants and greenhouse gases.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1629/97 by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Commission (14 May 1997)

Subject: Nationality of the staff of the European Training Foundation and of CEDEFOP

A recent exhibition by the above-mentioned Commission agencies revealed a variety of information concerning them, including their make-up in terms of the nationality of their staff. It is apparent that the Southern Member States are poorly represented: for example, the ETF has only 10 employees from Spain, Portugal and Greece, whereas there are 14 Belgians, 10 Dutch people and 8 Irish. No information was provided regarding the category and the responsibilities of each of these people.

Could the Commission provide comprehensive information regarding the officials and other staff of the two agencies, together with details of their grade and the tasks allocated to them? Will it also say whether or not the ETF will in future have responsibility for running the MEDA programmes, in respect of which it appears well placed by virtue of the fact that it is based in Turin?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (30 June 1997)

The personnel of the European training foundation and of Cedefop are employed in accordance with the regulation applicable to temporary agents and other civil servants of the Communities. Staff are recruited on the basis of their ability and integrity as well as on the broadest possible geographical basis. The recruitment of staff aims to ensure the ability of Cedefop and the Foundation to fulfil their mission, which in the latter's case is the provision of training assistance to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, as efficiently as possible. The Foundation's director is responsible for the recruitment of staff and for all other staff matters, while in the case of Cedefop this is assured through its director by the management board.

A breakdown of staff in the Foundation and in Cedefop by grade and nationality is sent directly to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament Secretariat.

The Commission adopted on 28 April 1997 a proposal to extend the European training foundation's geographical remit to the beneficiary countries of the MEDA programme ((COM(97) 117 final. )).
WRITTEN QUESTION P-2012/97 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission (4 June 1997)

Subject: Hong Kong

The Commission will be aware that the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the question of Hong Kong stated that the legislature of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be constituted by elections. The Commission will also be aware that a provisional Legislative Council 'elected' by 400 chosen electors has already been meeting and conducting business in advance of the change of sovereignty on 1 July 1997, and the same Provisional Legislative Council will replace the existing elected council in the early hours of 1 July.

Does the Commission agree that the actions of the Provisional Legislative Council to date are a breach of the 1984 Declaration, and that the operation of the said Council after 30 June also constitutes a breach of that international agreement which is registered with the United Nations?

Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (25 June 1997)

The Commission is not able to give the precise legal analysis requested by the Honourable Member of an agreement to which the Community is not a party. Clearly, however, the controversy and concern aroused by the designation last December of the future members of the Provisional Legislative Council can only be harmful to general confidence in continuity in Hong Kong after the handover. That is why the Commission called at the time for elections to take place as soon as possible after the handover of the Special Administrative Region (SAR), so that a new Legislative Council could be established.

Since then, the designated members of the future Provisional Legislative Council have met, but do not purport to function as a Provisional Legislative Council until 1 July 1997.

Meanwhile, the 9th plenary session of the preparatory committee of the Hong Kong SAR specified in May the method for the election of the first Legislative Council of the SAR.

The election methods now decided for the first Legislative Council reflect those established for subsequent Legislative Council elections in the Basic Law for Hong Kong (promulgated in 1990 to enact the Joint Declaration to which the Honourable Member refers). They comprise a mixture of procedures, direct and indirect, including election by a specially selected electoral college.

The Commission welcomes the decision of the preparatory committee that elections to the first Legislative Council should take place at the latest by 30 June 1998. The Commission hopes that those elections can take place much earlier than this, so that progress can begin towards the agreed 'ultimate objective' fixed under the Basic Law of elections by universal suffrage for all members of the SAR Legislative Council.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-1812/97 by Karl Habsburg-Lothringen (PPE) to the Commission (20 May 1997)

Subject: Sensitive areas

Can the Commission confirm that efforts are being made to designate certain Alpine regions such as the Brenner and St Gotthard as sensitive areas, with all that this will entail in the way of implications for the Road Charges Directive, for example?

Does the Commission agree that this effective and necessary measure should be extended to other regions in which traffic density is extremely high and which include ecologically sensitive areas, such as the trans-Tauern route and other Alpine passes?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (18 June 1997)

The Commission proposal for a Council directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures ((COM(96) 331 final. )) does include appropriate provisions for charging for the use of sensitive routes in areas where the supply and use of road infrastructure entails costs which are greater than the average in the Community. It is envisaged that the areas that fall into that category would be characterised by a high environmental sensitivity that is likely to be adversely affected by heavy traffic.

However, while awaiting Parliament's opinion, the progress to date of the examination of the Commisssion proposal in Council indicates that a considerable number of Member States have difficulties with the concept of sensitive routes and its implication of increased charges. Discussion is therefore concentrating on whether the charging scheme for heavily used Alpine routes should be different to that which would apply in the rest of the Community.

The Commission would also add that Council Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality assessment and management ((OJ L 296, 21.11.1996. )) provides for Member States to identify zones and agglomerations in which air quality standards are exceeded or where there is a risk that they are exceeded. For these zones and agglomerations, action plans have to be drawn up and implemented, which may have to include, depending on the case, measures on road traffic.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1191/97 by Shaun Spiers (PSE) to the Commission (3 April 1997)

Subject: Public health policy

Does the Commission recognize the contradictions between its policy of promoting better public health, and in particular EU funding of types of activity for limiting the spread of AIDS/HIV, and the charging of VAT on man-made Factor VIII?

Does the Commission accept that charging VAT on man-made Factor VIII provides an incentive to health care providers to use human factor VIII which results in a higher risk of infection?

Accordingly, will the Commission consider amending the Sixth VAT Directive to exempt man-made Factor VIII from being subject to VAT?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (3 June 1997)

In managing their budgets, doctors, hospitals and health authorities are increasingly presented with difficult decisions about the costs and benefits of new and often expensive medical procedures and pharmaceutical products. No doubt the introduction of a man-made alternative to blood-clotting agent, Factor VIII, which has hitherto been derived from human blood is one such example. In this respect the possibility of risk of infection involved in the use of Factor VIII derived from human blood is a matter for Member States' medical authorities to assess.

The Commission does not accept that there is a contradiction or indeed any connection between its policy of funding activities for limiting the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome/human immunodeficiency virus (AIDS/HIV) and the fact that man-made recombinant factor VIII is subject to VAT. It would be neither desirable nor practical to manipulate the VAT system to provide special treatment of goods or services on the basis that this might, arguably, be of some benefit to a Commission funded project.

Article 13A(1)(d) of the Sixth VAT Directive (77/388/EEC) provides for a Community-wide exemption of supplies of human blood and organs ((OJ L 145, 13.6.1977. )). As recombinant Factor VIII is a man-made product and not derived from human blood, it does not come within the scope of this exemption. It therefore falls to be taxed as a pharmaceutical product. However, Member States may apply a reduced rate of at least 5% to supplies of pharmaceutical products and some Member States are entitled to maintain reduced rates below 5% existing prior to 1 January 1991. Member States therefore have considerable latitude and the majority do in fact apply reduced rates to pharmaceutical products. Although Factor VIII derived from human blood is exempt from VAT, it must be remembered that such exemption does not entitle the supplier to recover input VAT incurred in connection with its production. On the other hand, recovery of input tax is permitted where positive rates apply. It is therefore wrong to conclude that VAT is always a significant element in the cost of Factor VIII. Indeed in some cases, if exemption were to be applied to man-made Factor VIII the incidence of VAT could be increased.

For these reasons the Commission does not envisage making any proposal to extend the scope of the exemptions under Article 13A(1)(d) to include man-made blood substitutes.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1217/97 by Peter Sichrovsky (NI) to the Commission (7 April 1997)

Subject: Euro information campaign on the impact of European monetary union in the USA

Recent opinion polls have revealed that the majority of American firms have a sceptical attitude to the forthcoming introduction of the euro, since it appears impossible to predict what impact it will have on trade relations between the EU Member States and the USA.

1. Is the EU planning special action to prepare firms in the USA as part of its information activities concerning monetary union?

2. If so, what specific actions are planned in the USA in order to make it easier for American firms to adapt to the new European currency?

3. What funds will be available for a possible 'pro-euro campaign' in the USA?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (10 June 1997)

The Commission attaches great importance to promoting awareness of the euro in the wider world. The Member of the Commission with special responsibility for economic and monetary affairs recently visited the United States for that purpose, and a similar trip to Asia is scheduled to take place in the autumn. The Commission has noted a constructive attitude towards the euro on the part of the US administration and American business circles. US firms with subsidiaries in Europe have a highly pragmatic vision of the benefits to be derived from the single currency, and their main concern is how it will work in practice.

With a view to consolidating the Commission's communications strategy for financial markets in respect of economic and monetary union (EMU), actions will be targeted on banks and investors in the world's leading financial centres, with roadshows organized in the United States and Asia. This method of presenting new information is frequently used in capital markets and has proved to be efficient.

It should be noted, however, that similar efforts will be undertaken to cover European financial centres, particularly London, Frankfurt, Paris and Zurich. Detailed proposals are currently being drawn up.

During the first half of 1997, separate one-week roadshows are planned in Asia, on the East Coast of the United States and Canada, in the Mid-West and on the Pacific Coast of the United States. The main target groups identified are central banks, government departments and agencies, investment banks, financial intermediaries and their sales forces, investors and non-bank intermediaries. These meetings will be organized by the Commission in close cooperation with local Community representative offices, which have good contact networks and can provide the necessary infrastructure. In Washington, these meetings could be arranged through the World Bank.

Apart from administrative costs directly covered by the Commission, these actions should be funded from the euro information campaign budget that the Commission has set up together with Parliament.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-0530/97 by Ana Miranda de Lage (PSE) to the Council (19 February 1997)

Subject: Spanish government aid to Tunisia

On 26 January 1997 a Spanish newspaper published a report according to which the Spanish Government would not make its aid to Tunisia conditional upon respect for human rights by that country.

In view of Articles B, F, J and J.1 of the Treaty on European Union and Articles 130u, 228 and 238 of the Treaty establishing the European Communities, and also the efforts made by the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament to ensure that the democracy clause is systematically included in agreements concluded with third countries, including Euro-Mediterranean agreements (of which Tunisia is a signatory), can the government of an EU Member State sacrifice respect for human rights to further its own national interest and not make economic cooperation with a country conditional upon respect for human rights in that country?

Answer (14 July 1997)

In its relations with third countries the Union indeed attaches special importance to respect for human rights and democratic principles.

Tunisia was the first country to sign a Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement. Article 2 of the Agreement, referred to as "the human rights clause¨, stipulates that relations between Tunisia and the European Community and its Member States, as well as the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.

This "human rights clause¨, which is systematically included in agreements with third countries, establishes a certain conditionality between the human rights record of a signatory country and the EU's readiness to increase its cooperation with that country.

The Council wishes to stress that all Member States respect their obligations under the Treaty or arising out of international agreements concluded by the European Community.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-1900/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (4 June 1997)

Subject: Green Paper on Education - Training - Research: The obstacles to transnational mobility

With reference to the 'Green Paper on Education - Training - Research: The obstacles to transnational mobility' (COM(96)0462 final),

it is extremely important to develop solutions to the problems restricting the mobility of those preparing to join the labour market. At a time when jobs are scarce and difficult to find, any attempt on the part of the Member States to protect national employment must be fought actively. This problem, which is not considered in the Green Paper, could arise at the end of training periods completed by those taking part in the programmes encouraging training at Community level.

Will the Commission highlight this problem so that it is included in the final document?

Joint answer to Written Questions E-1900/97, E-1901/97, E-1902/97, E-1903/97 and E-1904/97 given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (22 July 1997)

In view of the length of its answer, the Commission is sending it direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.