WRITTEN QUESTION E-0632/00 by María Ayuso González (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Social and economic effects which the reduction in export refunds will have on the production and processing sectors.
Date: 2000-03-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European industrial area, economic consequence, export refund, food processing, social impact

26.1.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 26 E/73

Is the Council aware of the press report of March 1999 by Dr Helena Ranta, a member of the team
2.
of European Union forensic experts in Pristina assigned at the request of the OSCE who examined
40 bodies on 22 January 1999, in which she expresses serious doubts about the credibility of the then
accepted view on the mass murder referred to in Question 1?

Is the Council in possession of a more detailed report on this event by Dr Ranta and her team or

3.
from another official source? Is this report, or are these reports, available to the public?

4.
Can the Council say whether the implicit recommendation in Dr Ranta(cid:146)s report, that there should
first be a thorough police investigation to give an overall picture of what happened in Racak, has been
followed up?

5.

If so, are the results available? If not, why have these recommendations not (yet) been followed up?

Does the Council have copies of the reports on the post mortems carried out on the civilian victims

6.
in Racak to which Dr Ranta(cid:146)s report refers?

Is the Council prepared,

7.
to press for the
continuation of the investigation into the real circumstances surrounding the mass murder in Racak as
far as possible and for the publication of
they depart significantly from the
interpretations made public at the time when the victims were discovered?

if only to ease the tension in the area concerned,

the findings, even if

Reply

(8 June 2000)

The Council expressed at the time its outrage at the massacre in Racak. It is aware of press reports
published in March 1999, stressing that there were no signs that the victims were anything other than
unarmed civilians.

Ms Carla Del Ponte, Prosecutor of the ICTY, stated on 29 September 1999, following her appointment,
that the ICTY will continue investigating crimes committed during the armed conflict in Kosovo and that
she is determined to prosecute those responsible before the Trial Chambers at The Hague.

It is the understanding of the Presidency that the indictment, confirmed by the International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) on 24 May 1999, of Mr Slobodan Milosevic, President of the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), Mr Milan Milutinovic, President of Serbia, Mr Nikola Sainovic,
Deputy Prime Minister of the FRY, Mr Dragoljub Ojdanic, Chief of Staff of the Yugoslav Army, and
Mr Vlajko Stojiljkovic, Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia for murder, persecution and deportation in
Kosovo also covers the massacre of Racak.

The Council emphasises the resolve of the Member States of the EU to cooperate fully with the ICTY and
to meet their obligations under relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. As recalled by the President of
the ICTY on 31 May 1999, these obligations also include that all States and organisations in possession of
information pertaining to alleged crimes within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal should make it available to
the Prosecutor. The Council, to which the forensic experts mission reported, respected this obligation by
transmitting the autopsy reports on the Racak massacre to ICTY under the German Presidency in the first
half of 1999. The Council does not see fit to comment further on a pending legal procedure.

(2001/C 26 E/091)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0632/00

by Mar(cid:237)a Ayuso GonzÆlez (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 March 2000)

Subject: Social and economic effects which the reduction in export refunds will have on the production

and processing sectors

What effects will the reduction in, or the withdrawal of, export refunds have on the production or
processing sector responsible for each of the various agricultural products affected? Have any plans been
made for alternative arrangements or for aid of any kind to soften the resulting impact?

C 26 E/74

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.1.2001

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(14 April 2000)

The Honourable Member is referring to the specific measures announced by the Commission in its
communication to the Council (1) and to the fixing of export refunds for products not covered by Annex I
to the Treaty for which the rates were reduced by 4,5 % on a flat-rate basis as from 1 November 1999.

This reduction is to be replaced by the application of the abovementioned specific measures, which are
intended to ensure that refunds continue to be made for goods not covered by Annex I to the Treaty
within the framework of the budget appropriations agreed by the budgetary authority.

The specific measures comprise savings and the creation of an additional facility to allow easier access to
the inward processing arrangements to enable the Community processing industry to remain competitive
on external markets.

The rules for the application of this package of measures and their impact on the various sectors still have
to be discussed with the experts of the Member States(cid:146) delegations in the appropriate management
committees.

(1) COM(1999) 625 final.

(2001/C 26 E/092)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0636/00

by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(2 March 2000)

Subject: Repopulation of northern regions in Greece where minorities of Macedonian and Turkish origin

are resident

In January 2000 the Greek Parliament adopted a law concerning the return of Greeks coming from former
Soviet republics. This legislation states that several thousand citizens are to be accommodated in the
northern regions of Greece where sizeable minorities of Macedonian and Turkish origin (Lerin-Florina and
Xsanthi regions) are resident.

Can the Council provide detailed information on the practical arrangements for this transfer of population
in a Member States of the European Union? Can the Council confirm that thousands of citizens are to be
located in the northern provinces where there is a problem with minorities? Is the Council aware of the
consequences that significant changes in the demographic situation can produce in sensitive regions?

Reply

(8 June 2000)

The Honourable Member(cid:146)s attention is drawn to the fact that it is not up to the Council to comment on
matters which are the responsibility of a Member State.

(2001/C 26 E/093)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0637/00

by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(3 March 2000)

Subject: Recognition of Kurds as a minority and the accession of Turkey

Since the Helsinki summit in December 1999 Turkey has been accepted as a candidate state for accession
to the European Union. The conditions for membership are democratisation, improvement of the human
rights situation and respect for the criteria of the Copenhagen Treaty. The latter implies recognition of the