WRITTEN QUESTION P-0359/00 by Robert Evans (PSE) to the Commission. Bonded labour.
Date: 2000-02-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European social policy, child labour, common foreign and security policy, right to work

C 374 E/58

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

28.12.2000

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(28 March 2000)

The aim of the proposal for a Directive on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related
rights in the information society (1) is to adapt the legal framework for copyright at Community level in
order to meet the challenges of new technologies and new forms of production and exploitation of works.
is in keeping with a globalised environment, and it aims to transpose the bulk of the
The proposal
international obligations arising from the treaties adopted in 1996 under the aegis of
the World
Intellectual Property Organisation; one of these relates to copyright and the other to interpretations,
performances and phonograms.

Under one of these obligations, the contracting parties have agreed to adopt legislation guaranteeing legal
protection of the technical measures used by copyright holders to protect their work against unauthorised
acts. The proposal for a Directive transposes this obligation at Community level in order to ensure an
equivalent level of protection in all Member States and to allow the single market to function properly.

The Honourable Member recognises the efforts made by the Commission in the proposal to strike a
balance between the various rights and interests involved. The Commission is particularly aware of the
need for balance when delimiting the level of protection of technical measures where a Member State has
recourse to one of the exceptions provided for in Article 5 of the proposal. The Member States seeking a
satisfactory solution within the Council working group share that concern.

(1) OJ C 180, 25.6.1999.

(2000/C 374 E/068)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0359/00

by Robert Evans (PSE) to the Commission

(4 February 2000)

Subject: Bonded labour

Bonded labour is a human rights violation which, according to the UN Working Group on Contemporary
Forms of Slavery, affects around 20 million people in the world. A large proportion of these bonded
labourers are in India and Pakistan.

In the light of this, can the Commission inform me as to what action it is taking to:

1. Work with the United Nations and the ILO to urge all States to sign the pertinent international
instruments which outlaw bonded labour, particularly ILO Conventions 29 on forced labour and
Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labour?

2.

Support States in developing and implementing domestic legislation to outlaw bonded labour,
including carrying out detailed regional surveys to identify and rehabilitate bonded labourers and to
ensure that those responsible for keeping bonded labourers are prosecuted in accordance with national
laws?

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(8 March 2000)

The Commission shares the concerns of the Honourable Member with regard to bonded labour practices
and, like the Member States, recognizes the importance of abolishing child labour, which deprives children
of their right to childhood, their right to education, and their freedom from forced labour. The Community
is actively supporting the work of the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the
United Nations Children(cid:146)s Fund (UNICEF) in this area. It welcomes the adoption of a new ILO Convention
concerning the prohibition and immediate actions for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.
The Community will help ensure that the Convention makes a positive contribution to the elimination of
the most intolerable forms of child labour, including bonded labour and the exploitation of children in

28.12.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 374 E/59

prostitution. The Community sees the adoption of the Convention as a major step forward and calls for its
early ratification and effective implementation.

The International Labour Organisation has well-established mechanisms for supervising the application of
international labour standards, including the ILO(cid:146)s Conventions on forced labour (29) and on the worst
forms of child labour (182). It is recalled that the 1999 International Labour Conference examined a very
critical report on Myanmar and decided to suspend the benefits of ILO technical assistance for this
country. It is, however, clear that there is no basis for trade measures preventing the import of goods
produced using bonded or child labour in any international instrument at present.

The Community follows an approach based on the offer of positive incentives and other forms of
assistance, as opposed to the use of sanctions,
in order to promote or enhance the ability of poor
countries to adhere in practice to accepted standards in the area of core labour standards. However, in
extreme and well-specified cases, the Community(cid:146)s generalized scheme of preferences (GSP) system allows
the suspension of benefits accruing to countries where severe violations of human rights have been found.
This provision has been applied to Myanmar and still is in force.

Considering the case of Pakistan, its government has introduced legislation to outlaw bonded labour and
child labour and keeps the Commission informed of the efforts of its authorities to implement this
legislation (investigations, convictions, rehabilitation). The Commission uses all appropriate occasions to
impress on Pakistan its concerns in this area. In addition, the Honourable Member will be aware of the
considerable importance for India and Pakistan of the International programme for the elimination of child
labour (IPEC) programme under the ILO aegis for the education of children which helps children to go to
school and families to get a job or some money to survive. The Community is a major contributor to this
innovative instrument to fight against poverty as well as bonded and child labour.

(2000/C 374 E/069)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0365/00

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(14 February 2000)

Subject: Support for Member State company interests overseas

Does the Commission consider that companies with overseas interests supported by certain Member States
have an unfair advantage over companies in those countries that do not offer such support? Is the
Commission able to give detailed information on each Member States(cid:146) contribution to supporting the
overseas interests of companies from their own country?

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(10 April 2000)

The Honourable Member refers to possible support from certain Member States for the interests of their
companies overseas. If these measures appear to provide the beneficiaries with an economic advantage and
moreover if they are only available to certain enterprises or certain activities and if they potentially distort
intra-Community trade, they may well fall under the discipline of the Treaty state aid rules.

The Commission, in a recent decision, has adopted a strict approach as far as aid to outward foreign direct
investment of large enterprises is concerned (see Commission Decision of 14 October 1998 on a proposal
by Austria to grant aid to Lift GmbH (1)).

The Commission is regrettably not able to provide the Honourable Member with detailed information on
the amount of each Member State contribution to support overseas interests of companies.

(1) OJ L 142, 5.6.1999.