In 2001, the Commission initiated the Union Forum for the Prevention of Organised Crime. In the
frameworkoftheForumanumberofworkshopmeetingsontraffickinginhumanbeingstookplaceandinvolved participants from public agencies as well as from international, inter-governmental or non-governmentalorganisations.TheCommissioninvitedAnti-SlaveryInternationaltopresentthefindingsofthestudyinthemeetingof15November2002.Furthertothatpresentation,participantsdiscussedandunderlinedthenecessityofahumanrightsbasedapproachfortheprotectionofandtheassistancetotraffickedvictims.Thelastworkshopmeetingon30June2003focusedonco-operationbetweenlawenforcement agencies and non-governmental organisations or other parts of civil society providingspecialisedservicesandsupportforvictims.
InSeptember2002theEuropeanConferenceonPreventingandCombatingTraffickinginHumanBeings
/dashGlobalChallengeforthe21stCentury/dashbroughttogetherMemberStates,CandidateCountries,thirdcountries,international,inter-governmentalandnon-governmentalorganisationsandtheinstitutionsoftheEuropeanUnion.TheConferencewasinitiatedbytheCommissionundertheSTOPIIProgrammeandorganisedbytheInternationalOrganisationforMigrationincloseco-operationwiththeParliamentandtheCommission.ThemajoroutcomeoftheConferenceistheBrusselsDeclaration,whichaimsatfurtherdeveloping European and international co-operation, concrete measures, standards, best practices andmechanismstopreventandcombattraffickinginhumanbeings.AnumberofrecommendationssetoutintheannextotheBrusselsDeclarationunderlinetheimportanceofahumanrightsbasedapproach.TheDeclarationexplicitlyaddressestheissueofvictimprotectionandassistance.
TheCommissioninformedtheCounciloftheEuropeanUnionoftheBrusselsDeclarationandon8May
2003theJusticeandHomeAffairsCounciladoptedConclusionstakingnoteofthedocumentandagreeingtoexamineappropriateproposalstoimplementspecificitemscontainedinit.
On25March2003,theCommissiondecidedtosetupanexpertsgroupontraffickinginhumanbeings,
whichshallassisttheCommissionwithaviewtolaunchingfurtherconcreteproposalsatEuropeanlevel.Thegroupwillalsoaddresstheprotectionofvictimstakingtheirhumanrightsintodueconsiderationandpayingattentiontorecentfindingsconcerningthissubject.
TheCommissionwillcontinuetousetheCouncilworkingstructures,theExpertsGrouponTraffickingin
HumanBeings,theUnionForumforthePreventionofOrganisedCrimeaswellasprogrammeslikeAGISandDaphnetofurtherimprovetheprotectionofvictimsoftraffickinginhumanbeings.
(1) COM(96)567final.
(2) COM(98)726final.
(3) OJC126E,28.5.2002.
(4) COM(2000)854final.
(5) OJL203,1.8.2002.
(2004/C58E/146) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2090/03
byBertDoorn(PPE-DE)totheCommission
(24June2003)
Subject:Protection of the domestic postal market by the French authorities against foreign service
providers
AnumberofcourtcasesandinquiriesareunderwayinFranceagainstTNTJetServices,anexpressmail
delivery service andsubsidiary ofthe DutchTPGmaildelivery service, which, itis alleged,hasbeenevadinglabourlawprovisionsbyusingsubcontractors.Otherserviceprovidersinthepostalsector,suchastheUK’sRoyalMail,arealsobeingprosecuted.
UndertakingsbelongingtoLaPoste,theFrenchPostOfficegroupofcompanies,suchasChronopost,also
usesubcontractors.However,thereisnothingtoshowthatanyinquiriesarebeingconductedintotheiractivities.IhaveactuallyseenaletterinwhichChronopostreceivedanassurancefromtheFrenchLabourInspectoratethatitspracticesinvolvingsubcontractorswouldnotbeinvestigated.C58E/130 EN6.3.2004 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion
Inmyview,allthisgoestoprovethattheFrenchauthoritiesarepursuingapolicywhichseekstoprotect
the French domestic market against foreign competition and which actually results in its being soprotected.TheCompetitionDGisawareofthismatterandhasagreedtoinitiateaninquiryintothecompetitionlawaspectsthereof.TheconductoftheFrenchauthoritiesisalsohamperingtheliberalisationofexpressmailservicesontheinternalmarket.
IstheCommissionawareoftherecentinquiriesandcourtcasesthattheFrenchauthoritieshaveinitiated
againstTNTJetServicesandotherexpressmailundertakings?
WhatistheCommissionplanningtodotocombattheunequalapplicationofthelawinthepostalsector
inFrance?
WilltheCommissionensurethattheliberalisationofexpressmailservicesisapplieduniformlyinthe
internalmarket?
AnswergivenbyMrMontionbehalfoftheCommission
(14August2003)
TheCommissionisawareofthefactthatanumberofcourtcasesandinquiriesareunderwayinFrance
againstTNTJetServicesandotherexpressmailserviceprovidersforevadinglabourlawprovisionsbyusingsubcontractors.AcomplainthasbeenfiledwiththeCommissioninthatrespectwhichallegesadiscriminatoryapplicationbytheFrenchAuthoritiesofthenationalrules,notablylabourlawrules,ontheuseofsubcontractors.
TheCommissionisatpresentanalysingthiscomplaintinordertoverifywhetherthereiseffectivelya
problemofdiscriminationandwhetherthereisscopeforinterventioninapplicationoftheEuropeanlaw.
TheCommissionhasalreadysentalettertotheFrenchStatecommunicatingthatitislookingattheabove
mentionedcomplaintandaskingwhichisitspositionvis-a-visthecircumstancesmentionedinit.
OnthebasisofthepositionoftheFrenchStateandofthefurtherevidencesthatthecomplainantwillbe
abletoproduce,theCommissionwilldecidewhetherthereisscopeforitsinterventiononthematteratissue.
As finally regards your concerns about an uniform enforcement of the liberalisation of express mail
services, the recent record of Commission’s decisions and initiatives regarding the application ofcompetitionrulesinthepostalsectorconstitutesastrongevidenceofitscommitmentinthisrespect.
(2004/C58E/147) WRITTENQUESTIONE-2096/03
byJeanLambert(Verts/ALE)totheCommission
(25June2003)
Subject:ConstructionofhighvoltagepowerstationbytheGreekPPCintheArgyroupolis/dashIlioupolisarea
Theplanningandconstructionofahighvoltagepowerstation(HVPS)bytheGreekPPCwasapprovedin
accordancewithArticle24oftheGreeklawL.2516/1997inanareathatbelongstotheBprotectionzoneofmountImittos.ThestipulationsofthisarticlewerejudgednonvalidbytheHighAdministrativeCourt, due to infringement of the article24 of the Greek Constitution referring to protection of theenvironment.Objections(referringtotheconstructionlicenceandtheenvironmentalimpactassessmentstudy) were submitted by the mayor of the city of Argyroupolis and a few citizens to the HighAdministrativeCourtagainsttheconstructionoftheHVPS,butthetrialhasbeenpostponedthreetimes(1November2002,7February2003and9May2003).Threepublicschoolsaresituatedlessthan50metresfromtheareawheretheHVPSwillbeconstructed.
AlthoughtheconstructionoftheHVPSviolatestheGreekConstitution,theGovernmenthasadopteda
newlawL.2947/2002forOlympicworks,whichincludestheconstructionoftheHVPS.Referringtothislaw,theMinisterofPublicWorksissuedanotherconstructionlicence,No59365/25.7.2002.ThePPCandtheGovernmentneverexaminedalternativesolutions,contrarytotheprovisionsofGreekLaw.6.3.2004EN C58E/131 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion