WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1777/98 by Reimer BÖGE to the Commission. Agenda 2000 and the WTO agreements
Date: 1998-06-05
Institutions: BOEGE, European Parliament
Subjects: Central and Eastern European countries, World Trade Organisation, aid to agriculture, beef, common agricultural policy, common organisation of markets, environmental standard, liberalisation of the market, milk

C 354/124

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

19. 11. 98

In the context of an informal ministerial meeting between the Troika of the European Union and Mexico which
took place in Panama on 12 February 1998, the Mexican Minister took the opportunity to provide information on
the measures taken by her Government, including those regarding respect for human rights, to overcome the
political problems the country was facing. The Mexican Minister also observed that respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, the principles of democracy and political pluralism formed the basis of relations between
the EU and Mexico, a view with which the EU Ministers concurred.

At  the  54th  Session  of  the  Commission  on  Human  Rights  in  Geneva,  the  Union  launched  an  appeal  to  the
Mexican  Government  for  it  to  put  a  swift  end  to  impunity,  for  example  in  cases  where  police  officers  were
involved in torture or other crimes. The Union also expressed its support and encouragement to the National
Commission on Human Rights in Mexico and to local NGOs to continue their work of defending and promoting
human rights.

The Council also wishes to inform the Honourable Member that the Interim Agreement on trade between
2.
the EU and Mexico, which will enable the process of trade liberalisation to be launched, entered into force on
1 July 1998. The first Joint Council meeting was held on 14 July 1998, alongside the General Affairs Council.
The Agreement is the ideal framework in which to continue the dialogue begun with the Mexican authorities on
all questions of mutual interest and in particular the human rights situation. The Council will not fail to reiterate
the importance of respect for human rights, which constitutes one of the pillars of the Agreement in question,
whenever appropriate.

(98/C 354/200)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1777/98

by Reimer Bo¤ge (PPE) to the Commission

(5 June 1998)

Subject: Agenda 2000 and the WTO agreements

Could the Commission explain the criteria on the basis of which agricultural aid is classified as (cid:145)blue box(cid:146)

1.
or (cid:145)green box(cid:146) under the WTO agreements?

Could  the  Commission  state  the  category  under  which  the  direct  aid  for  beef  and  milk  envisaged  in

2.
Agenda 2000 can be classified?

Should the aid provided under the American FAIR (Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform) act be

3.
regarded, in principle, as eligible for inclusion in the (cid:145)green box(cid:146) category?

Can the Commission confirm that the objective of establishing environmental standards for agriculture and

4.
including them in future world trade rules is enshrined in the GATT agreements?

5. What reports or recommendationshave been submitted to date pursuant to paragraph 1 of the Decision on
trade in services and the environment (OJ L 336 p. 265, 23.12.1994)?

6. What  initiatives  will  the  Commission  take  to  ensure  these  agreements  are  effectively  implemented  at
international level, or to propose and effect changes to Article XIV of the Agreement?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(7 July 1998)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its findings as
soon as possible.