WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2449/97 by Leen van der WAAL to the Commission. Obstacles to the activities of the Uzbek Bible Society
Date: 1997-07-16
Institutions: European Parliament, VAN DER WAAL
Subjects: Christianity, Uzbekistan, agreement (EU), cooperation agreement, freedom of religious beliefs, human rights, the EU's international role

C 60/132

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 2. 98

Financial assistance from the Community Structural Funds may be provided in one or other of the forms listed in
Article 5(2) of that Regulation, notably by part-financing of an operational programme or provision of a global
grant, the latter being as a general rule managed by an intermediary designated by the Member State in agreement
with the Commission and allocated by the intermediary in the form of individual grants to final recipients (local
action groups or other collective bodies).

The Community contribution to Leader II programmes is restricted to the maximum set in Article 13(3) of that
Regulation.

Payment of grants to the final recipients running innovative rural programmes under Leader II is conditional on
their  being  implemented  in  conformity  with  the  national  or  regional  Leader  II  programme  approved  by  the
Commission, under which they fall.

Article 14(4) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 laying down provisions for implementing the 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 (2) states
that the respective commitments of the partners, in the framework of an agreement within the partnership, shall
be reflected in the Commission’s decisions to grant assistance. The individual grants mentioned above are made
in line with these decisions.

Should a national financing agency (State, region, local authority) not meet its commitments under the individual
grant agreement it signed jointly with the intermediary and the final recipient the legal implications would be a
matter of national law and would therefore have to be dealt with in the Member State.

(1)  OJ L 185, 15.7.1988.
(2)  OJ L 374, 31.12.1988.

(98/C 60/221)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2449/97

by Leen van der Waal (I-EDN) to the Commission

(16 July 1997)

Subject: Obstacles to the activities of the Uzbek Bible Society

According to Open Doors, a Dutch foundation that offers help to persecuted Christians, some 25 000 copies of
the New Testament were confiscated by Uzbekistan(cid:146)s customs authorities in late February. The Bibles were on
their way from the Russian and Turkish Bible Society to the Uzbek Bible Society. They were confiscated on the
recommendation of the Uzbek Council of Religious Affairs. The Uzbek Bible Society also received a letter from
the Ministry of Home Affairs threatening it with closure for engaging in missionary activities. It appears that the
Baptist Union also received a letter to this effect.

1.

Can the Commission confirm these reports?

Does the Commission agree that this action by the Uzbek authorities is inconsistent with the internationally
2.
recognized right to freedom of religion and with the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement which has been
concluded between Uzbekistan and the EU, but has yet to be ratified by the Member States and the EP?

Is the Commission prepared to ask the Uzbek authorities to release the Bibles as soon as possible and to

3.
permit the Uzbek Bible Society and the Baptist Union to operate freely?

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

(11 September 1997)

The  Commission  would  refer  the  Honourable  Member  to  its  answer  to  Written  Question  E-2333/97  by
Mrs Maij-Weggen (1).

(1)  See page 128.