WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4028/97 by Glenys KINNOCK to the Commission. Landmines and EU aid
Date: 1998-01-14
Institutions: European Parliament, KINNOCK
Subjects: arms control, arms limitation, arms trade, civilian victim, conventional weapon, developing countries, development aid, disarmament, explosive, international agreement

16. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187/111

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 1998)

The question of health care, including mental health care, remains the responsibility of the Member States. This
will not change when the Amsterdam Treaty is ratified.

The Honourable Member should therefore address his question to the Greek authorities.

(98/C 187/170)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4028/97

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(14 January 1998)

Subject: Landmines and EU aid

Does the Commission welcome the UK decision to review the levels of its development funding to recipient
countries which do not (cid:145)sign up(cid:146) to the Ottawa agreement on landmines?

Would  it,  therefore,  not  be  appropriate  for  the  Commission  to  recommend  that  the  EU  should  adopt  similar
discrimination  against  recipients  of  EU  development  assistance  which  continue  to  produce  and  export
landmines?

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

(2 February 1998)

The  Commission  welcomes  measures  by  Member  States  that  help  overcome  the  tragic  consequences  of  the
irresponsible  and  indiscriminate  use  of  anti-personnel  landmines  in  many  developing  countries,  and  which
encourage  adherence  to  the  Convention  to  ban  anti-personnel  landmines  which  was  opened  for  signature  in
Ottawa on 3 December 1997.

It was delighted to see so many developing countries sign the Convention on 3 and 4 December 1997.

It must, however, stress that the Community(cid:146)s development policies do not make aid conditional on a country(cid:146)s
stance on anti-personnel landmines.

That  being  said,  the  Development  Ministers,  in  the  Council  resolution  of  22  November  1996  concerning  an
integrated and coordinated approach to tackling anti-personnel landmines, naturally excluded countries selling,
producing  and  stockpiling  anti-personnel  landmines  from  mine-clearance  programmes,  except  for  research
projects  in  the  anti-personnel  landmines  field,  relief  activities  and  measures  directly  benefiting  vulnerable
communities.

Extending this resolution to the whole of the Community(cid:146)s development policy could be discussed at the talks on
future relations with the developing countries to encourage them to stop producing, stockpiling, trading in and
laying anti-personnel landmines.

(98/C 187/171)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4029/97

by Caroline Jackson (PPE) to the Commission

(14 January 1998)

Subject: Securing of lorry loads

Does the Commission believe that there is a case for European legislation governing the securing of lorry loads
generally, or does the Commission believe that, while such EU legislation exists for dangerous goods, it can be
left to national authorities to introduce and implement such general safety measures for the securing of lorry
loads as they deem necessary according to national law?