WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1049/98 by Jesús CABEZÓN ALONSO to the Commission. Release of four Cuban dissidents
Date: 1998-04-06
Institutions: CABEZON ALONSO, European Parliament
Subjects: Cuba, European Union, diplomatic relations, political prisoner

C 354/58

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

19. 11. 98

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(8 May 1998)

On  15  December  1997,  the  Member  States  communicated  their  draft  national  programmes  to  improve  the
production and the marketing of honey in accordance with Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2300/97
on  detailed  rules  to  implement  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1221/97  laying  down  general  rules  for  the
application  of  measures  to  improve  the  production  and  marketing  of  honey,  as  amended  by  Commission
Regulation (EC) No 758/98 (1).

Accordingly,  Greece  notified  to  the  Commission  the  list  of  representative  organisations  and  beekeeping
cooperatives which collaborated with the Greek authorities on drawing up the programme. The Federation of
Greek Apicultural Associations was included in this list.

Article  4  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  1221/97 (2)  stipulates  that  programmes  shall  be  drawn  up  in  close
cooperation with the representative organisations and beekeeping cooperatives.

The Commission cannot therefore give these organisations a larger say in implementing the programme because
Council Regulation (EC) No 1221/97 provides only for participation in drawing up the programmes.

(1)  OJ L 105, 4.4.1998.
(2)  OJ L 173, 1.7.1997.

(98/C 354/100)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1049/98

by Jesu· s Cabezo·n Alonso (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 1998)

Subject: Release of four Cuban dissidents

Various people and institutions have made representations to the Cuban authorities to obtain the release from
prison of Marta Beatriz Roque, Rene· Go·mez, Vladimiro Roca and Fe·lix Bonne, Cuban citizens imprisoned for
forming part of the internal political dissident movement in Cuba.

I personally am aware of diplomatic moves by the Council and Commission to request the release of the four
people named above. None of these representations has produced the desired result and the four are still in prison
in Cuba.

Has the Commission renewed its representations to bring about the release of these four Cuban citizens?

Answer given by Mr Mar(cid:14)·n on behalf of the Commission

(11 May 1998)

The Union has made repeated approaches at various levels to obtain the release of Cuban political prisoners,
including the four members of the internal dissident movement referred to by the Honourable Member.

Most recently on 23 February, the Union (with Commission involvement) made representations to the Cuban
foreign ministry to try to get the four freed. The EU expressed disappointment that they and other dissidents had
not been amongst those released following the Pope(cid:146)s visit to Cuba in January.

Like the Honourable Member, the Commission regrets the fact that these moves have so far failed to have the
desired effect but it is determined to press on with its action to help political detainees in line with the common
EU position approved in December 1996 and extended in June and December last year.