WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3752/98 by Nelly MAES to the Commission. Provocative statements in the Turkish media
Date: 1998-12-11
Institutions: European Parliament, MAES
Subjects: Belgium, Kurdistan question, Türkiye, foreign national, judicial investigation, mass media, political violence, violence

28.6.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 182/123

The Commission is aware of the importance of cross-border movements inside the single market. Those broad
movements of people, necessary to develop the feeling of a common citizenship, embrace business matters,
tourism, family visits and culture. In a single monetary area, travellers from participating Member States will
spend money they have in their pockets regardless of the national face printed on the coins. The random
distribution of coins will be the result of those movements. The Commission has made no estimates but two
elements sustain the idea that the random distribution of coins could take a substantial amount of time. First,
cross-border movements do not concern the majority of Union citizens. Second, people usually travel only
with a small amount of coins. Coins with national symbols will most likely remain predominant in their
respective Member State.

(1999/C 182/167)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3752/98

by Nelly Maes (ARE) to the Commission

(11 December 1998)

Subject: Provocative statements in the Turkish media

Can the Commission answer a number of questions in the wake of recent disturbances in Sint-Joost-ten-Node
(Belgium)?

These disturbances followed a statement by the Italian Prime Minister, Massimo d’Alema, that he would not
extradite to Turkey the Kurdish PKK leader, Abdullah Öcalan, who had been detained shortly before, and that
he would even give consideration to Öcalan’s request for asylum 7 which resulted in a boycott of Italian
products in Turkey.

The some day the Turkish state television indirectly called on the Turkish community in Europe to take action.
One consequence of this was the serious disturbances in Sint-Joost-ten-Node: two Kurdish homes were set
alight and there was destruction of property. Eyewitnesses said that the disturbances were obviously well
organised, with the involvement of the Turkish extreme right-wing Grey Wolves.

What is the Commission’s attitude towards this provocation in the Turkish media? Is it prepared to draw any
conclusions concerning relations between the European Union and Turkey, the customs union between the
two parties and Turkey’s application for membership of the EU?

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

(11 January 1999)

The Commission is very aware of the recent demonstrations to which the Honourable Member refers and the
incidents that arose from them. Belgian prosecutors have launched an investigation to determine who was
responsible and what caused the incidents. That investigation is still proceeding. The Commission will await
the results before considering its response.

(1999/C 182/168)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3755/98

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(11 December 1998)

Subject: Register of interests for Commissioners

In the light of your response to my question P-0357/95 (1) does the Commission not feel that given that the
register of MEPs is publicly available this should also be true of the Commission Register before the
forthcoming European Elections?

(1) OJ C 179, 13.7.1995, p. 15.