WRITTEN QUESTION E-1010/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Measures to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Date: 2000-03-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: AIDS, Africa, EU aid

C 53 E/54

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2000)

the Council of 19 December 1996
In implementing Directive 96/92/EC of
concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity (1), Germany has opened up its market
immediately at a rate of 100 %, thereby going beyond the requirements of the Directive. As a result,
electricity prices have already come down considerably in the German market.

the Parliament and of

However, it is important that the intention to open the market fully translates into concrete commercial
activities in practice. According to the latest available information (2), the share of electricity imported into
Germany amounts to around 8 % of total electricity consumption in Germany. To increase cross-border
trade will require non-discriminatory access to the network for all companies wishing to sell within and to
the German market. In this respect, the Commission, on the basis of a first, provisional analysis, has
expressed its concerns about some rules contained in the second association agreement ((cid:145)Verb(cid:228)ndever-
einbarung(cid:146)), in particular with regard to the charges for transit between the southern and the northern part
of Germany and imports, and has informed the associations accordingly.

At the Community level, the Florence Forum, which brings together the Commission, the Parliament,
national administrations, the council of European regulators and the Association of European transmission
system operators (ETSO), has been working on the development of a Community wide system of cross-
border tarification. At the fifth Florence Forum in March 2000 an agreement was reached to develop a
provisional cross border tarification mechanism based on compensation payments between national
system operators, applicable for one year, to be replaced by a refined final system. The intention is that
once the Community wide system is in place all existing national import and export charges, including in
Germany, will be withdrawn.

In general, the Commission is aware that the different degrees of market opening in Member States can
lead to difficulties in practice. The Commission therefore welcomed the call from the European Council at
its meeting in Lisbon to speed up liberalisation in gas and electricity, with a view to a fully operational
internal market in these areas.

(1) OJ L 27, 30.1.1997.
(2) Quarterly statistics on oil, gas, coal and electricity of the International Energy Agency (IEA), 4th Quarter 1999.

(2001/C 53 E/064)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1010/00

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Measures to combat the AIDS epidemic in Africa

(31 March 2000)

The statistics on the spread of AIDS in Africa and its devastating consequences in sub-Saharan Africa are
striking. Of 33,6 million AIDS sufferers worldwide, 23,3 million are to be found in this region. The disease
has already killed 13,7 million persons in Africa (ten times more than warfare in the region) and has left
10 million children orphaned, a figure that will rise to 13 million by the end of 2000.

After the remarks by the United Nations Secretary-General that AIDS is the African plague of the 21st
century and that we must take immediate preventive action, produce low-cost drugs and distribute them as
a matter of the utmost priority, the United Nations Security Council allocated a further 100 million dollars
to the fight against AIDS.

1. What was the European Union(cid:146)s contribution to this?

2. What countries are to be targeted by this aid?

20.2.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 53 E/55

3.

Are there any instruments to monitor the management and efficiency of this aid?

Given the scale of

4.
concentrate efforts in that region?

the tragedy in sub-Saharan Africa, would it not be more appropriate to

Is the European Union cooperating with other international organisations to systematically coordi-

5.
nate the fight against AIDS in Africa?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(12 May 2000)

The Commission is extremely concerned by the tragic dimension the human immunodeficiency virus-
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) epidemic is taking in Africa and, over recent years, has
been very active in developing strong partnerships with the most affected countries through two major
instruments. Under programmes financed through the European development fund (EDF) actions targeted
at HIV-AIDS for 1999/2000 represent € 30 million. EDF programmes also include support
to the
development of health systems based on the reasoning that long-term success in prevention and care for
HIV-AIDS also needs to be rooted in multi-sectoral approaches. In 1999, € 16,5 million were committed
to HIV-AIDS intervention through the special HIV-AIDS/population budget line of which more than 50 %
were allocated to Africa. For the year 2000, € 20 million will be allocated for actions related to the overall
improvement of access to sexual and reproductive health services, the prevention of mother-to-child HIV
transmission, the development of affordable ways to increase access to essential care for people living with
HIV-AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, the understanding of the key economic and public health
issues related to a potential AIDS vaccine and the development of sector strategies to make microbicidal
products available to the most vulnerable women in developing countries.

for the year 2000,

for
In addition,
(cid:145)Partnership for Africa(cid:146) aiming at an increased political
leadership and mobilisation for an expanded
response to HIV-AIDS in Africa and has signed a € 20 million agreement with African, Caribbean and
Pacific (ACP) countries for specific interventions in the sector.

the Commission has acknowledged the United Nations appeal

The Commission allocates the major part of its resources to Africa but in line with other partners, shares
the view that prevention in countries at a pre-epidemic stage such as Asian or Latin America countries
remains essential for a world-wide impact on the spread of the disease.

The aid provided by the Commission is regularly monitored. Two major evaluations were already carried
out in 1993 and 1997. A third exercise was started in 1999 aiming at reviewing all health sector activities.

The Commission works in very close collaboration with United Nations partners, particularly with the
joint and co-sponsored United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health
organisation (WHO) but also with the United States Agency for International development (USAID) and
the World Bank. The Commission is involved with all international partners in the major debates relating
to access to drugs in the wider scope of the Trade related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS)
agreement and through negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry.

The communication to the Parliament and the Council (1) entitled (cid:145)For increased solidarity to confront HIV-
AIDS in developing countries(cid:146) emphasises the Commission(cid:146)s commitment to strengthening co-operation
with all public and private actors of the sector,
to improving access to care and developing new
mechanisms for increased financial solidarity.

In recent years, the Commission has been able to organise and fund very significant research under its
framework programme on the subject including the most recent study showing progression of HIV in
groups of very young women in East Africa. Vaccine research efforts have been very substantially
upgraded as well, with the launch of the beginning of this year of a HIV vaccine cluster representing a
multi-partner effort in the Community worth some € 20 million. An extensive trial on Community

C 53 E/56

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.2.2001

developed microbicides as an additional female-controlled way to prevent HIV transmission and further
research on how to organise control of tuberculosis, the first cause of mortality associated to AIDS, are
under way. The Commission intends to upgrade its research efforts substantially in the next future.

(1) COM(98) 407.

(2001/C 53 E/065)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1011/00

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

(31 March 2000)

Subject: Computer hackers and security

In recent weeks the international press has contained reports on the crimes committed by hackers, who
have broken into Internet sites in America in order to fraudulently obtain data and confidential codes and
to block use of the network. Similar events have also occurred in Europe.

Given the danger that such activities, which represent a genuine threat to the right to privacy and
confidentiality, may become more widespread:

(cid:129) has the Commission made provision for any measures to prevent the activities of these hackers?

(cid:129) has it taken measures to establish cooperation at international level on the development of projects

designed to counteract this criminal interference?

(cid:129) what proposals will it pt forward to improve the security of European operators and citizens using the

Internet

(cid:129) does it think funds should be made available to so that this matter can be included in research

programmes?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(22 May 2000)

One of the main challenges of the information society and one of the conditions for the success of
e-commerce is to ensure the confidence of users in the information communication networks.

Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection
of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (1) and
Directive 97/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 concerning the
processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector (2) provide for
the implementation of appropriate security measures to protect personal data against accidental or
unlawful destruction, alteration or access which has not been authorised by those responsible for
processing personal data. It is for the Member States to adopt implementing measures and lay down the
sanctions to be imposed in cases of infringement. The Commission, assisted by the working party set up
by Article 29 of Directive 95/46/EC, ensures that these provisions are properly applied and among other
things carried out a verification of the correct transposition of Directive 97/66/EC as part of the 1999
review of the regulatory framework for communications. The Commission is planning to clarify and
update this to take account of technological progress.

The European Council, meeting in Tampere, stated its commitment to reinforcing the fight against
transnational crime and implementing the means for crime prevention and cooperation. At international
level, the Commission is monitoring the efforts made by the various international and supranational
In particular, the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on Crime in
organisations in this fight.
Cyberspace is preparing a convention on cyber crime; the United States, Canada, South Africa and Japan
are involved in this work. Moreover, the Ministers for Justice and Internal Affairs of the group of eight
leading industrial nations (G8) have approved an action plan to combat the use of the Internet and other
new technologies to carry out criminal activities. In this connection, a network of contact points which are
operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has been set up.