WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3646/97 by Angela SIERRA GONZÁLEZ , Laura GONZÁLEZ ÁLVAREZ to the Commission. Referendum on independence in the Sahara
Date: 1997-11-19
Institutions: European Parliament, GONZALEZ ALVAREZ, SIERRA GONZALEZ
Subjects: EU aid, UN resolution, Western Sahara, foreign policy, international cooperation, international negotiations, national independence, referendum

C 158/166

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 5. 98

It is, furthermore, the intention of the Commission to examine the issue of whether or not breeding pigs should be
unloaded at staging points and, if appropriate, to present proposals which provide for the animals concerned
welfare conditions at least equivalent to those foreseen in Council Directive 91/628/EEC on the protection of
animals during transport and amending Directives 90/425/EEC and 91/496/EEC (3).

(1)  OJ L 74, 19.3.1988.
(2)  OJ L 340, 31.12.1993.
(3)  OJ L 340, 11.12.1991, Directive as last amended by Directive 95/29/EC, OJ L 148, 30.6.1995.

(98/C 158/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3641/97

by David Martin (PSE) to the Commission

(13 November 1997)

Subject: Experimentation on wild animals

Would the Commission please detail any factors which it considers would prevent the inclusion of a ban on the
use  of  wild-caught  primates  for  experiments  in  the  EU  in  the  (cid:145)Community  Policy  Statement  on  the  use  of
Primates as Laboratory Animals(cid:146) currently being drafted?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 1997)

The  draft  Community  policy  statement  on  the  use  of  primates  as  laboratory  animals  is  a  working  document
which will be used as a basis for discussions on the use of non-human primates.

The measures covered by this working document together with other issues concerning the use of non-human
primates will be discussed at the next meeting of the national authorities responsible for the implementation of
Directive  86/609/EEC  concerning  the  protection  of  animals  used  for  experimental  and  other  scientific
purposes (1),  scheduled  to  take  place  on  4  December  1997.  In  the  light  of  the  outcome  of  this  meeting  the
Commission will then consult representatives of industry and non-governmental organisations.

At  this  stage  it  is  not  yet  possible  to  present  a  position  on  possible  options  concerning  a  ban  on  the  use  of
wild-caught primates.

(1)  OJ L 358, 18.12.1986.

(98/C 158/223)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3646/97

by Angela Sierra Gonza·lez (GUE/NGL)
and Laura Gonza·lez A· lvarez (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(19 November 1997)

Subject: Referendum on independence in the Sahara

In September 1997, an agreement was reached in Houston between Morocco and the Polisario Front to hold a
referendum to decide on the sovereignty of the Sahara.

Hitherto, Morocco has blocked the holding of this consultation of the Saharan citizens of the area, but the date
proposed by Morocco appears to have removed any doubts as to whether the referendum would be held.

Through  its  humanitarian  aid  programmes,  the  EU  repeatedly  donated  materials  to  help  cover  the  basic
necessities of the Saharan people, whose situation during a 22-year exile has been precarious.