WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1475/99 by Ioannis MARINOS Persecution of Gypsies in Kosovo
Date: 1999-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, MARINOS Ioannis
Subjects: Kosovo, Roma, Serbia, aid to refugees, common foreign and security policy

29.1.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 27 E/85

(2000/C 27 E/104)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1474/99

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 September 1999)

Subject: Management of waste oils

According to the Commission(cid:146)s answer (E-3211/97 of 5 February 1998 (1)) to my question concerning the
management of waste oils, (cid:145)... the Commission will open a file ... on the basis of which it will contact the
Greek authorities in order to ask for information on the actual implementation in Greece of Directive 75/
439/EEC, as amended by Directive 87/101/EEC (2). When it receives a reply from Greece the Commission
shall not fail to invoke the powers conferred upon it by Article 169 of the EC Treaty, if appropriate.(cid:146)

What was the Greek authorities(cid:146) reply concerning the implementation of the above Directives, in particular
Articles 4 and 8 of Directive 87/101? Should Greece have failed to implement the Directives, will the
Commission actually invoke the powers conferred upon it by Article 169 of the EC Treaty and when?

(1) OJ C 223, 17.7.1998, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 42, 12.2.1987, p. 43.

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(7 October 1999)

The Commission has, on several occasions, asked the Greek authorities to provide information on the
implementation of Council Directive 75/439/EEC of 16 June 1975 on the disposal of waste oils, as
amended by Council Directive 87/101/EEC of 22 December 1986. As the Greek authorities did not
communicate any information concerning this issue, the Commission has opened infringement procedings
against Greece on the basis of Article 226 of the EC Treaty (ex Article 169) for failure to provide the
implementation report required under Article 18 of the Directive.

(2000/C 27 E/105)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1475/99

by Ioannis Mar(cid:237)nos (PPE-DE) to the Council

(1 September 1999)

Subject: Persecution of Gypsies in Kosovo

A few days ago, Euronews and RAI television broadcast pictures of the entire Gypsy community of Kosovo
abandoning the province en masse.

It is has been estimated that some 100 000 Gypsies living in Kosovo will be forced to abandon their
homes by the Kosovars, who are accusing them of being (cid:145)Serb collaborators(cid:146).

What is the Council(cid:146)s position on this new round of ethnic cleansing whose victims, this time, are the
entire Gypsy community of Kosovo, who are suffering the same kind of persecution as the Serbs allegedly
meted out to the Kosovars and what measures will it propose to put an end to this persecution and to
enable the people affected to return to their place of origin and their homes?

Reply

(8 November 1999)

The Council shares the Honourable Parliamentarian(cid:146)s concern that the Serb and other non-Albanian
populations have to a large extent left or have been forced to leave Kosovo. The Council recalls that
UNSCR 1244 foresees the right to return of all refugees and displaced persons. The Council fully supports
the efforts of UNMIK to promote reconciliation and cooperation between the various ethnic and other
groups in Kosovo and remains strongly committed to a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo.