WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2488/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Council. Acts of brutality committed in Somalia by soldiers from EU Member States
Date: 1997-07-28
Institutions: European Parliament, KAKLAMANIS
Subjects: Somalia, UNO, civil defence, civil war, civilian victim, cruel and degrading treatment, multinational force, violence

3. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 102/49

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 1997)

The objectives, contents and beneficiaries of the Interreg II programme for Italy and Albania were defined in
partnership  by  the  Commission,  the  Italian  Government  and  the  region  of  Apulia,  in  accordance  with  the
procedures for the approval of aid programmes part-financed by the Community.

The programme approved on 10 October 1996 does not specifically include any projects benefiting the port of
Monopoli. Nevertheless, the regional authorities recently consulted the members of the programme(cid:146)s Monitoring
Committee about a proposal to include the port of Monopoli. The Commission has also received the information
needed to evaluate the proposal, which it is currently examining, as are the other members of the Monitoring
Committee.

With  regard  to  eligible  areas,  the  entire  province  of  Bari  is  eligible  under  the  programme.  The  specific  sites
receiving financing under Interreg depend on the location of the projects financed. The project selection criteria
vary according to the type of measures financed and are specified in both the programme measures and the calls
for tender published by the Italian authorities.

(98/C 102/69)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2488/97

by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Council

(28 July 1997)

Subject: Acts of brutality committed in Somalia by soldiers from EU Member States

According to international press reports, soldiers from EU Member States taking part in the multinational force
of  twenty-one  states  under  the  aegis  of  the  UN  committed  unprecedented  and  inhuman  acts  of  violence  and
torture against the civilian population of Somalia.

The purpose of this force was supposed to be to protect and help the people of this African country ravaged by
civil war, but the charges levelled against it › torture, executions of women and children and brutal beatings ›
strongly suggest that the behaviour of soldiers from certain Member States was far removed from the image
European states should be projecting in today(cid:146)s world.

Will the Council say how it intends to react to these reports of unprecedented acts of brutality by soldiers from
Member States (and notably, founding members) of the Union, acts which have dealt a devastating blow to its
prestige as a whole and which give its declarations about (cid:145)protecting of human rights(cid:146) a hollow ring?

The question put by the Honourable Member does not fall within the purview of the Council.

Answer

(13 November 1997)

(98/C 102/70)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2491/97

by Werner Langen (PPE) to the Commission

(18 July 1997)

Subject: Non-payment of Socrates funds

The  Commission  intends  to  pay  the  beneficiaries  30%  of  the  appropriations  for  Action  1  of  the  Socrates
programme  only  on  submission  of  the  final  report.  This  will  involve  considerable  disadvantages  for  the
universities taking part:

›  Firstly, the announcement of how the funds are to be distributed is not made until after completion of the
application  phase,  whereas  with  other  EU  aid  programmes  this  information  is  made  known  before
applications are made.