WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4023/98 by José BARROS MOURA to the Commission. EU-Macau relations following the transfer of sovereignty on 20 December 1999
Date: 1999-01-08
Institutions: BARROS MOURA, European Parliament
Subjects: China, EU relations, Macao, national sovereignty

C 207/160

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.7.1999

The judgment delivered by the Court of Justice on 15 May in case C106/96 led to the freezing of all the budget
headings dealing with non-governmental organisations’ and international organisations’ human rights
activities (this included the Council of Europe) until the interinstitutional agreement at the end of July
1998 gave exceptional permission for them to be used. The interruption did not, however, have negative
effects on the cooperation under way, nor did it endanger the planning of future activities. In 1998, the
Commission approved three new projects drawn up in partnership with the Council of Europe.

The European Union-Council of Europe quadripartite meeting held on 7 October 1998 praised the state of
cooperation between the two organisations.

(1999/C 207/221)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4023/98

by José Barros Moura (PSE) to the Commission

(8 January 1999)

Subject: EU-Macau relations following the transfer of sovereignty on 20 December 1999

Following the example of what it did in the case of Hong Kong, when is the Commission planning to draw up a
communication on the future of relations between the EU and the Special Administrative Region of Macau
once responsibilities have been transferred to the People’s Republic of China? Account should be taken of the
need for the application of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle to be guaranteed and of the major role
which Macau could play as an ‘open door’ from China to the West and from the EU into China.

When is the Commission intending to submit such a communication, which must be received early enough to
enable it to be discussed by Parliament?

Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission

(5 February 1999)

The Commission strongly supports the application of the one country, two systems policy to the future special
administrative regime of Macau.

As confirmed by the responsible member of the Commission during his visit to Macau on 2 November 1998,
the Commission intends to prepare a communication to the Council and the Parliament on Community-
Macau relations. Following a similar procedure as that followed in the case of Hong Kong, the Commission
intends to prepare the communication close to the date of the transfer of sovereignty of Macau to the Peoples
Republic of China in the last part of 1999.

That should allow the Commission to raise the main issues to follow in the first year of the implementation of
one country, two systems policy.

(1999/C 207/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4048/98

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallström (PPE) to the Commission

Subject: Nuclear safety in Russia and the Union’s northern dimension

(13 January 1999)

The reply given by Commissioner Hans van den Broek, on behalf of the Commission, to my quite specific
Written Question E-3325/98 (1) was very general. It does not comment on any Commission programme of
cooperation with regard to nuclear safety in Russia, although everyone knows that, for example, the
Commission’s document concerning the northern dimension of the EU includes unambiguous operational
recommendations on nuclear safety.