WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1042/98 by Jens-Peter BONDE to the Commission. Particular advantages for national minorities in elections
Date: 1998-04-06
Institutions: BONDE, European Parliament
Subjects: local election, national minority, parliamentary election

21. 10. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 323/109

A full list of projects financed by all the budget headings in title B7-7020 (European initiative for democracy and
the protection of human rights) is attached to the annual report on the implementation of the resolution of the
Council and of the Member States meeting in the Council on human rights, democracy and development adopted
on 28 November 1991.

Through the implementation reports from the organisations responsible for carrying out projects financed by the
budget heading in question, the Commission is able to monitor its implementation, its results and, consequently,
its short- and medium-term viability. Monitoring is improved and supplemented by information and comments
from Commission delegations in the countries where projects take place. Ad hoc evaluations are also scheduled
for politically sensitive projects and those requiring heavy spending.

Project-identification  missions  are  used  by  the  Commission  for  the  gradual  mapping-out  of  cooperation
strategies for each country in the medium and long terms. They have to identify not only the priorities to be
financed in the human rights field but also sources of finance to be used (budget headings, national indicative
programme, counterpart funds and incentive amounts) and organisations for their implementation.

Following the tragic events of April 1994 in Rwanda, for example, strengthening of the legal system was chosen
as a priority sector for cooperation. From 1994 the budget heading was used to finance projects in this sector with
the support of specialised non-governmental organisations (Re·seau des citoyens, Avocats sans frontie‘res and
Penal Reform International), in aid of the Rwandan International Penal Tribunal and the Rwandan Ministry of
Justice,  to  the  tune  of  ECU  7.5  million.  Over  and  above  that  ›  and  coordinated  with  those  projects  ›
the rehabilitation programme approved an ECU 7 million project for rehabilitating legal infrastructures.

The  fact  that  a  cooperation  strategy  is  worked  out  for  each  country,  with  effective  coordination  and
complementarity of the funds available, makes projects financed by the Commission more effective and viable.

(98/C 323/164)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1042/98

by Jens-Peter Bonde (I-EDN) to the Commission

(6 April 1998)

Subject: Particular advantages for national minorities in elections

Is  a  provision  of  an  electoral  law  giving  a  national  minority  in  a  Member  State  a  particular  advantage  in
connection  with  parliamentary  elections,  local  elections  and  elections  to  the  European  Parliament  etc.  in
contravention of the Amsterdam Treaty?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 1998)

The Commission is conducting a detailed investigation of the problem raised by the Honourable Member and
will inform him of the outcome as soon as possible.

(98/C 323/165)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1044/98

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(6 April 1998)

Subject: Conversion of an Armenian Monastery into a hotel in the occupied part of Cyprus

The Turkish-Cypriot authorities have decided to allow a private individual to run the tenth-century Armenian
Monastery of Aghios Mangar as a hotel.