AnswergivenbyMrLamyonbehalfoftheCommission
(27March2003)
TheHonourableMemberisreferredtothestatementmadebytheCommissionduringthedebateontrade
inserviceswithintheframeworkoftheWTO,includingculturaldiversity,atParliament’spart-sessioninMarchthisyear.
(2004/C58E/022) WRITTENQUESTIONE-0549/03
byBaronessSarahLudford(ELDR)totheCommission
(26February2003)
Subject:MinorityrightsinVietnam
AstheCommissionisaware,officialsinVietnamcontinuetostiflefreeexpression,andtosystematically
suppressandcontroltheactivitiesofreligiousgroups,includingethnicminorityChristiansinthenorthernand central highlands, members of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, and Hoa HaoBuddhists in the south. Members of these faiths and their leaders are frequently detained by localauthorities and are subjected to beatings and pressure to renounce their religion and cease religiousgatherings.
Apart from taking every available opportunity to raise its concerns with Vietnamese officials and
politicians about such continued human rights abuses, what pressure can the Commission exert onVietnam’sauthoritiestoensurethesituationimproves?
Doesthecontinuedandsystematicpersecution ofreligious minoritiesnotinfringe theHumanRights
ArticleoftheFrameworkCooperationAgreementsignedbetweentheECandVietnaminJuly1995?Ifitdoes,whatactionwilltheCommissiontake?
AnswergivenbyMrPattenonbehalfoftheCommission
(14May2003)
The Commissionwouldrefer the Honourable Member toits reply to Written Question E-454/03 by
MrGrahamWatson(
1),concerningthepersecutionofChristiansinVietnam.
AsfarastheUnifiedBuddhistChurchofVietnamisconcernedtheHonourableMembermayknowthat
thesituationhasrecentlyevolved.Mostnotably,itsSupremePatriarch,VenerableThichHuyenQang,hasbeenreceivedbyVietnam’sPrimeMinisterPhanVanKhai.TheCommissionisawarethattherecenteventsdonotautomaticallyentailachangewithregardtothelegalstatusoftheUnifiedBuddhistChurchofVietnam,whichremainsbannedinthecountry.TheCommissionwillcontinuetomonitorcloselythedevelopments,butconsidersthattheselatestgesturesoftheGovernmentofVietnamareanencouragingsteptowardsenhancedtoleranceoffreedomofreligion.
TheUnion’spolicytowardsVietnam,andindeedtoallcountries,istoencourageandsupportcontinued
progressonhumanrightsanddemocratisation,andtoraiseconcernswhereanyabusesoradeteriorationinthesituationisobserved.
TheCommunity-VietnamCo-operationAgreement,whichwassignedin1995,statesinitsfirstArticle
thatrespectforhumanrightsanddemocraticprinciplesisthebasisofourco-operation.Thisreferenceconstitutes the enabling framework for the Human Rights dialogue of the Commission with theGovernmentofVietnam,forinstanceinthecontextofJointCommissionmeetings.TheCommission,together with the Member States represented in Vietnam, therefore monitors closely human rightsdevelopmentsinVietnamaspartofthepolicyoftheUniontoencourageandsupportthecontinuedcommitment of the Government of Vietnam to make progress in the field of human rights.The Commission also participates with the Member States in the regular dialogue with and in alldémarchestotheGovernmentofVietnamonhumanrightsissues.C58E/20 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
The Union, Commission and Member states, have repeatedly urged the Government of Vietnam to
strengthen its respect for political and religious freedoms, to further strengthen economic and socialfreedomsandtocreatealegalframeworkforasupportiveenvironmenttoallowthedevelopmentofastrengthenedcivilsociety,fromwhichVietnamwouldgreatlybenefit.CommissionandMemberstateshaveexpressedtheserequestsintheirjointdeclarationattheConsultativeGroupmeetinginHanoiinDecember2002.
The May 2001 Commission Communication on the Union’s Role in Promoting Human Rights and
DemocratisationinThirdCountriesconfirmedthattheCommissionwouldtakeactiontoenhancethepositiveimpactofCommunityassistanceprogrammesonrespectforhumanrightsanddemocratisationby/dashinteralia/dashtakingperformanceintheareaofhumanrights(includingsocial,economicandculturalrights)intoaccountwhendecidingcountryallocationsunderthemainco-operationprogrammes.
InadditiontotheexplanationsgiveninthereplytoWrittenQuestionE-454/03,referredtoabove,the
CommissionwouldliketodrawtheattentionoftheHonourableMembertothefactthatanexploratorymissionoftheCommissionhasnowbeensenttoVietnamtolookatpossibilities,involvinginteraliatheethnicminorities,toreducepovertyintheCentralHighlandsandthustodealwithsomeoftherootcausesoftheproblemsinthearea.
(1) Seepage18.
(2004/C58E/023) WRITTENQUESTIONP-0556/03
byMaríaIzquierdoRojo(PSE)totheCommission
(20February2003)
Subject:EuropeanfundingandthebanningofwomenfromMountAthos
TheEuropeanParliamenthasrecentlyadoptedtwomotionsforresolutions(SwiebelandIzquierdoRojo
reports)inwhichitopposedthebanningofwomenfromMountAthos.Itshouldalsobeborneinmind
thatthemonasteryregionofMountAthoshasbeengrantedaidtorestoreandrenovatemonasteriesandpreserveculturaltreasures,whichbelongtobothmenandwomen.
CantheCommissionanswerthefollowing:
1. HowmuchEuropeanfundinghasbeenallocatedforthispurpose?
2. DoestheCommissionnottaketheviewthatitismandatoryforthe‘acquiscommunautaire’tobe
applied,inlinewiththeEU’sfundamentalprinciples?
3. WhatEuropeanEconomicAreafundingmechanismhasbeenusedtobenefittheregioneconomically?4. Under the Community support framework for Greece, in what specific way is such aid granted
throughthestructuralfunds?Whatcriteriahavebeenusedtodefinethefieldsofstructuraladjustmentandeconomicdevelopment?
AnswergivenbyMrBarnieronbehalfoftheCommission
(7March2003)
TheCommissioniscollectingtheinformationitneedstoanswerthequestion.Itwillcommunicateits
findingsassoonaspossible.6.3.2004EN C58E/21 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion