WRITTEN QUESTION E-0578/99

by Giuseppe Rauti (NI) to the Commission

(12 March 1999)

Subject: Assignment to Italy of a United Nations trusteeship in Albania

With a view to securing from the Commission that the Union adopt an initiative to have Italy entrusted with a United Nations trusteeship in Albania, it is pointed out that:

1. This institution of trusteeship, which was used in the first decade after the war and was "inherited" from the League of Nations in the period succeeding the First World War - has always produced positive results - witness Italy's Somalia trusteeship in the 50's, which led to the complete reconstruction of Somalia's internal management structure and turned around its financial and trading performance with other countries;

2. The initiatives taken so far have not had a positive outcome: whilst Italy expended on Albania, between 1991 and 1998, almost 2 billion lire, today not only is Albania worse off than before, but it is actually "infecting" Puglia - the Italian region facing it - with intensified and uncontrolled influxes of refugees, as well as massive shipments of drugs, weapons of every description and thousands of women, sometimes very young, who, blackmailed in various ways, end up on the prostitution circuits;

3. In addition to the 2 000 billion lire expended by Italy are the no less enormous sums allocated by the European Union which, according to the report by Leonie van Bladel (A4-0041/99), debated in plenary in Strasbourg on 11 February 1999, are equivalent to another 1 500 billion lire for the period 1991-1998, to which should now be added macrofinancial assistance of a further 40 billion lire.

Would the Commission agree that, before continuing to throw billions down a bottomless hole, a radical change in the policies and arrangements for the Italian presence and the EU in Albania is essential?

Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 1999)

The Commission cannot take the initiative to have a Member State of the European Union entrusted with a United Nations trusteeship for a third country. Albania has been a member of the European "family" and of the Council of Europe since 1994. The Commission is aware of the considerable instability which the crisis in 1997 has generated in Albania and which has spilt over into neighbouring countries, and in particular the Italian region referred to by the Honourable Member.

Since the end of 1997 the international community and the European Community in particular (which has provided over [fmxeuro]150 million alone) have been funding a global stabilisation and development programme for Albania providing specific assistance for the police, judiciary, customs and public administration in general. Humanitarian aid is also being given to refugees from Kosovo. Albania's macroeconomic situation improved significantly in 1998. The Commission is convinced that institution building in Albania is the only way of improving the situation there. The increased presence of an international police force under a WEU mission supported by an EU Joint Action adopted on 9 March may help to create a more secure environment to underpin stabilisation and economic development in Albania.

At a more general level the international community is continuing to play an active role in the process of stabilisation and development in Albania. This is illustrated by the OSCE's political mission in Albania, the informal consultative forum (Friends of Albania) co-chaired by the OSCE and the European Union and donor coordination by the Commission and the international financial institutions in key sectors.