WRITTEN QUESTION P-2266/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Expulsion of the Greek section from the Médecins sans Frontières NGO.
Date: 1999-11-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Finland, accession to the European Union, aid to agriculture, control of State aid

C 203 E/160

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.7.2000

redeployment. The first results of the study are expected by the beginning of 2000. The Commission will
communicate these immediately to the Member States and determine what follow-up action will be
necessary.

As for the question of possible unequal starting positions of competing companies due to the fact that
some are state owned, whereas others are privately owned, the Commission will actively monitor the
behaviour of competitors in the electricity industry, as it does in other industries. The Commission(cid:146)s role is
to ensure that state owned companies (cid:129) or any company for that matter (cid:129) do not have undue
advantages, for instance because of state aid that is not available for other companies. The Commission
examines mergers and acquisitions and other dealing on the competitive market in this light.

(2000/C 203 E/206)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2265/99

by Ari Vatanen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 November 1999)

Subject: Article 141 of Finland(cid:146)s accession treaty

In Article 141 of Finland(cid:146)s accession treaty it is stated that, where serious difficulties remain resulting from
Finland(cid:146)s accession, the Commission may authorise Finland to grant direct national aid.

During the five-year transition period, Finland has been able to pay transitional aid. At the end of 1999
the transitional period will come to an end and the payment of this aid will cease. It has been calculated
that if compensatory aid is not paid, the incomes of farmers raising livestock and growing greenhouse
produce and open-air vegetables in southern Finland will fall immediately by between 30 % and 90 %.

In the conclusions of the Luxembourg summit in 1997 it was stated that agricultural production should be
possible throughout the territory of the EU, even in unfavourable conditions. If the payment of the aid
under Article 141 is discontinued, the aid gap between southern Finland and the rest of the country will
grow to intolerable levels. This would also undermine the credibility of the EU, particularly in the eyes of
farmers.

What measures does the Commission propose to take to ensure that this aid pursuant to Finland(cid:146)s
accession treaty can continue to be paid?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(8 December 1999)

The Commission is examining a report which has been presented by Finland on the difficulties facing
agriculture in Southern Finland, together with a notification in accordance with Article 143 of the Act of
Accession and Article 88 (ex-Article 93) of the EC Treaty of a national aid programme under Article 141
of the Act of Accession.

Once this examination is complete, the Commission will take the appropriate measures.

(2000/C 203 E/207)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2266/99

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(24 November 1999)

Subject: Expulsion of the Greek section from the (cid:145)MØdecins sans FrontiŁres(cid:146) NGO

The Greek section of the (cid:145)MØdecins sans FrontiŁres(cid:146) NGO was recently expelled on the grounds that it
helped both sides involved in the Kosovo crisis without permission. This has prompted serious concern
about the implementation of the principle that urgent humanitarian aid should be distributed to a
population in distress without ethnic or religious discrimination (cid:129) a principle that the European Union
itself subscribes to. Given that the activities and programmes of (cid:145)MØdecins sans FrontiŁres(cid:146) are funded
largely by the European Union.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 203 E/161

Will the Commission say:

1.

Is the expulsion of Greek doctors for the reasons given above at odds with the positions adopted by
the European Union on humanitarian aid? How does it intend to respond to this move, and what
measures does it intend to take?

2. The Greek section of (cid:145)MØdecins sans FrontiŁres(cid:146) has submitted for approval (ECHO) a humanitarian aid
programme for the psychiatric hospital of Toponica (near the City of Nis). In view of the above, how
does the Commission intend to deal with this application so as to endorse the principle that
humanitarian non-governmental organisations should intervene in crises purely on the basis of
humanitarian criteria without regard for any political or other considerations?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(7 December 1999)

1.
In its relations with its partners, the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) scrupulously
respects their independence, as is laid down moreover in the Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA)
governing their mutual relations..

MØdecins Sans FrontiŁres (MSF) is one of ECHO(cid:146)s most important partners, whose work at international
level was recently recognised with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize. MSF is a non-governmental
organisation, currently represented by 18 sections throughout the world. Six of these sections have been
set up and recognised within MSF International as operational sections, i.e. MSF France, MSF Belgium, MSF
Netherlands, MSF Spain, MSF Switzerland and MSF Luxembourg. The operational sections of MSF have
signed the FPA with ECHO.

Section MSF Greece implements its own projects, a fact which might appear to generate some conflict
within the association. This is an internal matter for the organisation and concerns it alone.

2. MSF Greece submitted an application to sign the FPA in March 1997, at a time when the FPA was
undergoing a review. ECHO nonetheless recorded the application with a view to examining it in detail
once the review was complete.

Since January 1999, the date when the new FPA came into force, ECHO has given priority to signature
with its established partners. ECHO has now signed the new FPA with 159 non-governmental organisa-
tions (NGOs). Pending the enlargement of the network of partners, whenever one of ECHO(cid:146)s operational
units expresses interest in taking action on a measure proposed by an NGO which has not signed the FPA,
ECHO requests the Member State in which the organisation(cid:146)s head office is located to certify the NGO(cid:146)s
compliance with the criteria set out in Article 7(1) and (2 ) of Council Regulation 1257/96. The action that
ECHO then takes will depend on the reply received from the Member State concerned.

At present, ECHO is assessing a proposal from MSF Greece concerning the tuberculosis ward of the
Topinica psychiatric hospital near Nis, which is urgently in need of assistance. Assuming that it endorses
this proposal, ECHO will then apply the above-mentioned procedure to determine whether MSF Greece
can be accepted as a partner.

(2000/C 203 E/208)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2272/99

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Financial support for the activities of consumer organisations

(13 December 1999)

Article 6(2) of Decision No 283/99 (1) of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a general
framework for Community activities in favour of consumers states that: (cid:145)unpaid work or donations in kind,
if properly documented, may be taken into account, up to a level of 20 % of total eligible costs when
assessing the organisations(cid:146) revenue and costs(cid:146).