ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2744/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(10 October 2001)

Subject: Saddam Hussein and the war crimes tribunal

Is the Council seeking to ensure that, should the occasion arise, Saddam Hussein and his henchmen should be put before an internal war crimes tribunal? Is the Council prepared to play a part in having Saddam Hussein and members of his government arrested if they were to make a State visit to another country?

Reply

(1 March 2002)

No international war crimes tribunal exists as yet to deal with the individuals referred to in your question. Judicial proceedings against Saddam Hussein have nevertheless been initiated in certain national courts, including courts in the European Union.

The EU and its Member States support the forthcoming establishment of the International Criminal Court, as provided for in the Rome Statute of 17 July 1998. This is clear from the Council's Common Position of 11 June 2001, in particular. In future it will be possible to bring proceedings concerning the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity,

war crimes and once a definition is agreed on the crime of aggression before the International Criminal Court and to prosecute these crimes if the State of which the alleged perpetrator is a national or the State on the territory of which the conduct in question occurred is one which has ratified the Rome Statute, or if the United Nations Security Council acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations has referred a situation to the Prosecutor of the Criminal Court. The Court, however, will have jurisdiction only as regards acts committed after the entry into force of the Rome Statute. The Council is wholly prepared to cooperate with the International Criminal Court as soon as it is established.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2684/01

by Mario Mauro (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Funding from AGRI DG

Will the Commission provide a list of the projects which, in 2000 and 2001, were submitted by the Italian Regions of Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta for financing from the funds administered by the AGRI Directorate-General, and the names of those which were subsequently approved?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(31 January 2002)

The Commission does not have lists of proposed and subsequently approved projects part-financed by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund in 2000 and 2001 for the regions indicated by the Honourable Member.

In the case of the EAGGF Guidance Section (and the other Structural Funds), the Leader II and Objective 5(b) programming documents for the regions in question provided for the closure of national commitments on 31 December 1999 in respect of the 1994-1999 period. New projects could not therefore be submitted in 2000 or 2001, nor could they have been accepted in any event under those jointly funded programmes.

As for the new programming period (2000-2006) in the regions concerned, the Community contribution is provided by the EAGGF Guarantee Section under the rural development plans. The subsidiarity principle means that the Commission does not manage individual projects.

The regions are required to submit before 30 April each year an annual report on their plans for the preceding calendar year. The annual reports to the Commission do not have to include lists of the projects submitted and approved, but simply monitoring and supervision information, based on common Community indicators. The Commission will send the annual reports for 2000 on the relevant regions' rural development plans direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3683/01

by Nicholas Clegg (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 January 2002)

Subject: Irradiated food

Does the Commission believe that only the term irradiated, or a similar term, should be used to describe food that has undergone irradiation treatment on relevant labels?

At present in the United Kingdom, a number of different terms such as treated by cold pasteurisation, sterilised with electron beam (E-beam) technology and electronically pasteurised are all used.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2002)

Labelling of irradiated foods is regulated by Article 6 of Directive 1999/2/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 February 1999 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning foods and food ingredients treated with ionising radiation(1). It provides that the words irradiated or treated with ionising radiation shall be used to indicate that the foodstuff or an ingredient of the foodstuff has been irradiated. This wording is therefore mandatory and aims at ensuring full transparency for the consumer.

Information about food irradiation is available on the following web site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sfp/sfp_index_en.html.

(1) OJ L 66, 13.3.1999,.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3466/01

by José Pomés Ruiz (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 December 2001)

Subject: Euronews reports on the ETA terrorist group

Euronews reports refer to the ETA terrorist group as a separatist group.

This offends the sensibility of all democrats. In my own case, as a Member of the European Parliament whose family has been the victim of ETA terror in three attacks, I begin to wonder why the European Parliament is financing a news channel whose reports are dictated, in the best of cases, by fear of ETA terror.

Is the Commission aware that Euronews uses the word separatist rather than terrorist when referring to ETA, which is a criminal organisation?

Given that ETA has been included in the list of terrorist organisations, who is responsible for the fact that Euronews does not respect ETA's classification as a terrorist group, when this has been accepted by all the EU countries? Will the Commission take any disciplinary measures to prevent Euronews from continuing to describe ETA as a separatist organisation?

Joint answerto Written Questions P-3466/01 and P-3473/01given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 2002)

The Commission fully shares the concern expressed by the Honourable Members about the fact that EuroNews has referred in its bulletins to the terrorist group ETA as a separatist organisation.

Whilst it is true that EuroNews receives funding from the Community budget, the Convention that was signed by both EuroNews and the Commission with the full support of the Parliament only relates to the co-production of a series of information programmes about the Union. As in the case of all other media companies, the Commission respects the full editorial freedom of Euronews.

The Commission, however, at its next meeting with EuroNews in which the Parliament will, as usual, also participate will draw their attention on the points raised in this question.

The Commission expresses once more its commitment against terrorism, including ETA, as symbolised by President Prodi's presence in public events in solidarity of the victims of terrorism and by numerous public statements.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3599/01

by Markus Ferber (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 January 2002)

Subject: Shipments of animals on the world market

What is the situation regarding the shipment of animals on the world market? Are shipments of animals to third-country regions from the EU, which have fallen by more than half in recent years, being replaced by shipments from other countries? If so, from which countries and to which regions/countries?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(4 February 2002)

Egypt and Libya used to be traditional importing countries of slaughter cattle from the Community and have reoriented their purchases towards Australia.

For Egypt during the years 1995 and 1996 on average 78 700 tonnes (live weight) of bovines were exported from the Community, against 14 800 tonnes (live weight) from Australia. For the period 1999-2000 the Community exported on average 18 600 tonnes (live weight), compared to 112 000 tonnes from Australia.

Libya stopped the import of cattle from the Community in 1997. As from 1996 until 1999 the country switched its purchases towards Australia (no export to Libya in 2000).

In addition, during the last years Australia has been developing its slaughter cattle trade with countries such as Jordan and Israel. Since 1995 (year for which there was hardly any export of cattle) till 2000 this trade expanded and reached 41 000 heads of cattle exported to Jordan and 15 800 heads destined to Israel.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3374/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(7 December 2001)

Subject: The inclusion of disabled people in poverty-reduction work

It is recognised that the European Commission is the biggest provider of humanitarian assistance in the world, dedicated to the international development target of halving world poverty by 2015. There is also clear evidence that disabled people, who are among the most severely marginalised, make up a disproportionate number of those living in extreme poverty.

What commitment has the Commission made, therefore, to include disabled people in its poverty-reduction work?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(24 January 2002)

Disability is, as poverty and gender mainstreaming, an important crosscutting development issue. There are different measures to be taken to mainstream the disability perspective into the formulation of development policy and legislation and to harness policies and programmes that could help people with disabilities to participate effectively in the economic and social processes in developing countries. The Commission in particular welcomes the inclusion of indicators related to disability in national poverty reduction strategies; the promotion of increased developing funding and of the 20/20 and debt-relief initiatives; the different elements for capacity building and institutional development; the joint collaboration effort with other agencies.

The Commission strongly supports a number of social policy areas which will contribute significantly to pursuing the poverty reduction, human rights, gender, disability and other cross cutting strategy's objectives in developing countries.

During 2002 the Commission intends to work on a communication (i.e. a policy memorandum) on social policy in Community development co-operation and will include the disability perspective.

Mainstreaming is the basic work method in this field. But the Commission is funding a number of specific projects focussing on different categories of disabled people (like the Kamla Mehta. Blind Girls School in Bombay, India) in order to stimulate awareness and as pilote activities.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3034/01

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 October 2001)

Subject: VAT on projects supported by voluntary fund-raising

Charitable projects for building and refurbishment of hospitals as opposed to housing are obliged to pay full rate VAT to the UK Treasury, thereby forfeiting a large proportion of the money raised. This is understandably demoralising for the volunteers involved.

Would the Commission therefore consider reviewing the Annex H list of the 6th VAT Directive, to at least allow such charitable projects to pay reduced-rate VAT?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(11 December 2001)

Where building and refurbishment are concerned, current Community legislation only provides for the application of a reduced VAT rate on services supplied to housing (under the social policy).

As part of the experiment with labour-intensive services(1), Member States may also apply a reduced rate until 31 December 2002 to the renovation and reparation of private dwellings, excluding materials which form a significant part of the value of the service supplied.

A distinction is made in the relevant Community legislation between dwellings and commercial or industrial buildings intended in principle for operators that have the right to deduction, and establishments such as hospitals or schools generally subsidised by the public authorities.

Revision and rationalisation of the rules and derogations applicable in determining reduced VAT rates were announced by the Commission, in the medium term, in its new VAT strategy(2). The treatment of the construction sector will also be examined in this context. However, as the adoption of new tax provisions is still subject to unanimity by the Council, the Commission cannot guarantee the outcome of Council discussions on the matter.

(1) Council Directive 1999/85/EC of 22 October 1999 amending Directive 77/388/EEC as regards the possibility of applying on an experiment basis a reduced VAT rate on labour-intensive services: OJ L 277, 28.10.1999.

(2) COM(2000) 348 final.
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3403/01

by Thierry Jean-Pierre (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(5 December 2001)

Subject: Information on EU external aid

It was emphasised in the annual report on implementation of the Commission's external aid programmes in 2000 that reform of the management of EU external aid was under way and would begin to bear fruit in 2002.

The main objectives of this reform are to reduce the time lapse between commitments and payments and to decentralise responsibilities from the Commission to the Delegations in the beneficiary countries and territories.

In addition, the Commission's EuropeAid Agency has published its first Annual Report, which includes details of a reform process consisting in the establishment of a single agency with responsibility for managing the whole operational cycle of the EuropeAid projects and the granting of specific powers to the active Delegations, with a view to improving the Commission's overall capacity in managing programmes on a country-by-country basis.

In order to give greater visibility to the impact of aid on its beneficiaries, I should like to have a complete list for 1997-2001 of the associations and NGOs involved in EU external aid to the following countries: the Barcelona Process countries, Libya, Mauritania, Sudan, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Supplementary answergiven by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 2002)

In view of the length of its answer, the Commission is sending the information requested for direct to the Honourable Member and Parliament's Secretariat.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3444/01

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(21 December 2001)

Subject: The communal woodlands of Galicia and the Leader+ and Proder initiatives

Does the Commission know whether the communal woodlands of Galicia have been the subject of specific projects under the Leader+ or Proder initiatives in force in Galicia? If so, what actual projects are there?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-3440/01, E-3441/01, E-3443/01 and E-3444/01given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 February 2002)

The Commission contributes through the Structural Funds to various regional development programmes in Spain. Galicia has a number of agricultural and rural development programmes in receipt of Community funding.

However, there is no specific programme for the common lands that the Honourable Member refers to.

Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and amending and repealing certain Regulations(1) lays down all the criteria under which Community funding can be granted.

That said, if these lands are deemed eligible under the Regulation, then the Structural Funds, including the EAGGF Guidance Section, could finance measures.

The Commission invites the Honourable Member to contact the regional and/or national authorities for further information on this matter.

(1) OJ L 160, 26.6.1999.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-2692/01

by Mario Mauro (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Funding from Enterprise DG

Will the Commission provide a list of the projects which, in 2000 and 2001, were submitted by the Italian Regions of Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta for financing from the funds administered by the Enterprise Directorate-General, and the names of those which were subsequently approved?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(31 January 2002)

The Commission's accounting system does not allow beneficiaries of Community funds to be listed by region.

However, the Enterprise DG grants subsidies to a number of European Information Centres (EICs), including EICs located in the regions mentioned by the Honourable Member. The list of beneficiaries in these regions has been sent directly to the Honourable Member and to the General Secretariat of the Parliament.

The Commission paid an operating subsidy of 25 000 for each of these EICs in 2000. This subsidy was renewed in 2001.

In the field of research, and more specifically the Innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) programme, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) at Ispra received twelve instalments of Community funding amounting to a total of 3 364 545, and the University of Pavia received 681 400. A list of this funding has been sent directly to the Honourable Member and to the General Secretariat of the Parliament.

With regard to applications for funding, three proposals have been received under the Follow-up of the Go digital initiative project (and are currently being evaluated).
WRITTEN QUESTION P-3402/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(5 December 2001)

Subject: Closure of subsidised company Typopoiitiria Thivas

Typopoiitiria Thivas, a company founded pursuant to Regulations (EEC) 355/77(1) and 866/90(2), and jointly funded by the Greek State (Ministry for Agriculture) and the Commission (Commission decisions 156/28.6.1989 and 2742/24.11.1992), has announced that it is suspending operations less than a decade since it started up.

In its judgment No. 1631/2001, the Athens Administrative Court of First Instance recognised that there had been a breach of certain articles of EU competition rules (Articles 81, 82, 85 and 86 of the EC Treaty) and ruled that the Greek State should pay compensation to the company as it had been prevented by ministerial decisions and special market policy provisions laid down by the Greek Administration from selling its products in the Attica Basin, thereby suffering damage, during the period 1994-1999.

Since Typopoiitiria Thivas is a subsidised company, if it is closed down less than a decade since it started up, the Commission will ask the Greek State to pay back the subsidies that it has received.

In view of the fact that the Greek courts have already ruled that the damage to the company which has forced it to suspend operations is not due to negligence or improper conduct in the running of the company but to unlawful acts by government agencies which broke EU competition rules, is the company required to pay back the subsidies it has received?

(1) OJ L 51, 23.2.1977, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 91, 6.4.1990, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 2002)

The Commission has already been informed by the company Typopiitiria Thivas S.A. of the dispute it is involved in with the Greek authorities. On 23 November 2001 it wrote to those authorities, asking for explanations and for corrective action to be taken so as to enable the company to operate normally.

On the basis of the answer the Commission is expecting from the Greek authorities, it will decide whether to apply Article 24 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2082/93 of 20 July 1993 amending Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 laying down provisions for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88 as regards coordination of the activities of the different Structural Funds between themselves and with the operations of the European Investment Bank and the other existing financial instruments(1) dealing with the recovery of sums unduly received. The Commission is particularly concerned that the schemes part-financed by the Structural Funds should be operational and not dormant.

(1) OJ L 193, 31.7.1993.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3281/01 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council. Council common position with regard to Cuba.



Official Journal 160 E , 04/07/2002 P. 0091 - 0092



WRITTEN QUESTION E-3281/01 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council (28 November 2001) Subject: Council common position with regard to Cuba Under Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union concerning relations between the European Parliament and the Council as regards foreign policy, it would be very useful to know what the Council's opinion is regarding the common position on Cuba which was adopted in 1996(1). What chance is there that the common position might be amended following the emergence of a new world order and in pursuit of international cohesion, an objective which should be a hallmark of the European Union's foreign policy? (1) OJ L 322, 12.12.1996, p. 1. Reply (25/26 March 2002) The Council would draw the Honourable Member's attention to the replies given during Question Time to Question H-642/01 put by Miguel Martinez Martinez and Question H-648/01 by Francisca Sauquillo Pérez del Arco at the September 2001 part-session, to Question H-807/01 put by Miguel Martinez Martinez at the November 2001 part-session, and to Question H-890/01 put by Laura Gonzales Alvarez at the December 2001 plenary part-session, all of which were on the same subject.
WRITTEN QUESTION E-3457/01

by María Rodríguez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(4 January 2002)

Subject: Electromagnetic pollution caused by telephone base stations

Article 8 of Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC(1) on exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields lays down requirements for the authorisation, planning and installation of radioelectric stations, recommending in particular that their location should minimise as far as possible the levels of emissions in sensitive areas such as schools, health centres, hospitals and public parks.

What scientific data did the Commission have to enable it to make the recommendation in Article 8 concerning sensitive areas?

Does it currently have any new scientific data to confirm that sensitive areas should be ruled out as possible locations for radioelectric stations?

How does the Commission view the fact that, despite the Recommendation, the Spanish Government is allowing the installation of eight telephone base stations with more than 30 antennae emitting radio-frequency radiation, less than 100 metres from a college in which two cases of leukaemia and one case of lymphoma have been diagnosed among the pupils?

Does it consider that the current Recommendation is adequate to guarantee the health of the population and, if not, does it intend to propose a directive which will go beyond the provisions of the 1999 Recommendation and include effective measures to ensure respect for the precautionary principle and health protection?

(1) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999, p. 59.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(13 February 2002)

The Honourable Member is requested to refer to the Commission's answer to her written question P-3452/01(1). The Commission would point out that Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (O Hz to 300 GHz)(2) is based on the opinion issued by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, which was endorsed by the Commission's Scientific Steering Committee (SSC).

The measures to implement the Recommendation are the responsibility of the Member States. Under the terms of the Recommendation, the Member States must report to the Commission, within three years of the adoption of the Recommendation, on the measures taken to adopt a framework for protecting the public from the health effects of non-ionising radiation. The Commission will publish these measures in an implementation report in 2002.

Based on the opinion published on 30 October 2001 by the Scientific Committee for Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment, the Commission currently has no plans to change the recommended exposure limits.

(1) See page 115.

(2) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999.