WRITTEN QUESTION E-1449/00 by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (PSE) to the Commission. Impact of electronic commerce and the Internet economy on development cooperation.
Date: 2000-05-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: cooperation policy, developing countries, development policy, electronic commerce, information technology, world economy

C 81 E/40

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

(2001/C 81 E/047)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1442/00

by Concepci(cid:243) Ferrer (PPE-DE) to the Council

(12 May 2000)

Subject: Human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea

Recent UN reports on the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea have clearly highlighted an utter
lack of respect for human rights in that country.

According to the UN reports, the lack of respect for human rights is most apparent in the legal uncertainty
facing citizens in that country, in that at any time they may be deprived of their freedom without the need
for a court order or legal grounds for issuing such an order.

The Republic of Guinea has formally announced that the trial of Mr Alpha CondØ, who has been in
detention since 1998, will commence on 12 April next.

In view of the aforementioned facts, what guarantees are there that this will be a fair trial?

Does the Council intend to send observers in order to guarantee a fair trial?

Reply

(29 September 2000)

The Honourable Member adresses in fact two distinct situations, concerning two different countries, in her
written question.

1.
The human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea to which the Honourable Member refers to in the
first place, was examined at the 56th session of the Commission on Human Rights which met during
in Geneva. On that occasion, the European Union Member States joined in the
last March and April
consensus on the resolution relating to this country which adresses the problems mentioned by the
Honourable Member, and includes a number of recommendations and appeals to the Government of
Equatorial Guinea to take urgent steps to remedy the deficiencies and conditions that lead to violations and
abuses of human rights.

2. With respect
to the trial conducted in the Republic of Guinea against Mr Alpha CondØ, the
Presidency on behalf of the European Union issued a declaration on 6 April 2000 in which it expressed
the hope that the trial would be conducted fairly and transparently,
in full accordance with the law,
thereby ensuring that Mr. CondØ is in a position to defend himself on all charges brought against him. The
course of this trial, which started on 12 April last, is being closely monitored by the European Union
Heads of Mission in Conakry.

(2001/C 81 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1449/00

by Wolfgang Kreissl-D(cid:246)rfler (PSE) to the Commission

(10 May 2000)

Subject: Impact of electronic commerce and the Internet economy on development cooperation

Over the next few years electronic commerce via and on the Internet (e-commerce) will come to play an
important role in the world economy. Through the e-Europe initiative the EU has shown that it has
recognised the implications of this change and intends to meet the resulting challenges. Likewise, at the
Ministerial Conference in Geneva the WTO set up a working party whose remit will focus on the extent to
which current WTO rules are applicable to e-commerce.

However, the development-policy implications of the digitalisation of the world economy have been
disregarded, or dealt with only cursorily, in the documents drawn up by the WTO working party and in
the measures taken by the EU in this connection.

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/41

Could the Commission answer the following questions:

1.

Is there not an urgent need to shift the emphasis of development cooperation partly towards the
establishment or development of electronic infrastructure in order to prevent the further margin-
alisation of the developing countries on electronic markets?

2. Have plans been drawn up concerning that shift in emphasis, e.g. support for the establishment of

electronic trade points, as encouraged and developed by Unctad?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(6 July 2000)

As the Honourable Member has indicated, the Commission launched, at the recent Lisbon European
Council, the e-Europe initiative, an important example for developing digital economic concepts and social
inclusion in Europe. In the same spirit, the Commission has suggested to the Group of eight most
industrialised countries (G8) launching the e-development initiative at the Okinawa Summit next July
2000. The e-development initiative seeks to promote the dialogue with developing countries aiming at
their integration into the global economy. The Commission is prepared to play its part. The Commission
has in particular suggested to focus on three key areas: developing infrastructures and improving
connectivity, fostering the provision of basic social services and building human capacity, encouraging
market friendly policies and ensuring policy coherence.

Indeed the Commission is of the opinion that an information society can take root in developing countries
only by looking at a broad spectrum of inter-related issues, electronic trade points being only one of the
many aspects.

In particular the Commission has put

The Commission is already active operationally in support of an information society in developing
countries.
in place a major information and communication
technologies (ICT) programme for the Mediterranean region. The Euro-Mediterranean information society
initiative (Eumedis) encompasses five strategic sectors including e-commerce and technologies for business
process re-engineering. On 25 March 2000 a call for proposal for cooperative Euro-Mediterranean projects
in the field of e-commerce and technologies for industries was launched (with a total financial coverage of
€ 14 million).

A comparable programme for Asia is on its way and a equivalent effort for Latin America should become
operational soon, covering also several areas, e-commerce included.

In May 2000, the Commission signed an agreement for the co-financing of the virtual university for
Africa, together with the World Bank and other donors. The virtual university for Africa will deliver
teaching via the Internet.

It is anticipated that a G8 e-development initiative will increase the focus and coherence of donor support
for ICT initiatives in developing countries.

The new communication technology is not, however, an easy short cut for the poor people in the world.
Rather, it represents a must for the administrative and intellectual elites and the emerging business in
developing countries if they are to avoid further marginalisation in the process of globalisation. Billions of
people have not yet spoken in a telephone and 2,2 billion have no access to electricity.

(2001/C 81 E/049)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1451/00

by Wolfgang Ilgenfritz (NI) to the Commission

(10 May 2000)

Subject: Checks on Austrian farms

In Austria, in connection with the monitoring of Agrarmarkt-Austria (AMA (cid:129) agricultural market Austria),
in 1998 checks on compliance with the criteria governing the AMA quality label were carried out on
82 041 Austrian farms.