WRITTEN QUESTION E-1918/00 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council. Restrictions on the granting of visas to Bulgarian and Romanian nationals.
Date: 2000-06-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Bulgaria, EU Member State, Piedmont, Romania, accession to the European Union, admission of aliens, foreign national, proposal (EU)

C 113 E/50

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

3.

4.

Are the fires, or have they already been, a reason for action by the European Union?

In what way is the EU helping to deal with contamination risks in Belarus and Ukraine?

Reply

(20 November 2000)

The Council is aware that forest fires broke out in May 2000 in forests contaminated as a result of the
Chernobyl accident.

The Council has not been informed of notable increases in radioactivity nor of any increased risk to public
health caused by these fires. The Council is aware that research projects undertaken by the Commission
have shown that the risk of radioactivity spreading as a result of forest fires is marginal.

The Council understands that the Commission is keeping the situation under permanent review in the
framework of several nuclear safety programmes for Eastern Europe and will induce action if necessary.

The Council recalls that, as result of the disaster of Chernobyl, the Community has provided assistance to
build a shelter for the reactor, to improve radioactive waste management, to assist in decontaminating the
affected region and to install a system for monitoring radiation in air and river water.

(2001/C 113 E/045)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1904/00

by Nirj Deva (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 June 2000)

Subject: EC PHARE programme tender li 9701.01.04.02

Understanding that bids for contracts under this programme can only be accepted for full lots and that all
the equipment must be of EC or PHARE programme country of origin, can the Commission please advise
who won the contracts under this tender, lot by lot, and what equipment (make and model) was included
in the successful bids?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 2000)

Because of the length of the answer, which includes a number of tables, the Commission is sending it
direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

(2001/C 113 E/046)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1918/00

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council

(19 June 2000)

Subject: Restrictions on the granting of visas to Bulgarian and Romanian nationals

On 26 January 2000 the Commission proposed to the Member States that Bulgaria and Romania be
withdrawn from the black list of third countries whose nationals require a visa to enter Union territory.

18.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/51

The President of the Piedmont region wrote to me on 11 May 2000 informing me that the above proposal
had not yet had any practical consequences, and that this was seriously affecting the efforts being made by
the region to establish cooperation networks with those countries.

Does the Council agree that the present situation could call into question the entire process which is to
lead to Bulgaria and Romania(cid:146)s accession to the Union?

Does the Council not consider it necessary to act on the Commission(cid:146)s proposal concerning visas for
Bulgarian and Romanian citizens?

What measures will the Council adopt to facilitate the movement of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens in
the European Union?

Reply

(16 November 2000)

On 26 January 2000 the Commission submitted to the Council, on the basis of Article 62(2)(b)(i) of the
TEC, a proposal for a Regulation listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas
when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement. Bulgaria
and Romania are amongst the third countries whose nationals the Commission proposes to exempt. The
proposal is currently under discussion in the Council.

The European Parliament was consulted by letter dated 16 March 2000 and delivered its Opinion on
5 July 2000. In the light of that Opinion, the Commission announced that it would be submitting an
amended proposal for a Regulation to the Council. The Council has just received this proposal.

(2001/C 113 E/047)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1927/00

by Fernando FernÆndez Mart(cid:237)n (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Fight against poverty in the developing world

(16 June 2000)

Given the diverse criteria employed by the various international bodies involved in the fight against
poverty in the developing countries and the need to establish uniform criteria in order to make combating
poverty more effective, will the Commission say what it understands by the term (cid:145)poverty(cid:146) and what
criteria it uses to measure it, so as to enable an assessment to be made of the implementation of
Community programmes?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(27 July 2000)

The definition of poverty has evolved significantly over the years. The Commission has adopted a broad
definition of poverty in line with the international debate. Poverty cannot be defined merely as the lack of
income or the level of consumption; it includes deprivation of basic capabilities and encompasses non-
monetary factors,
like lack of access to social services and to all forms of capital. Data collected at
household level, for example, do not reveal inequality within the household. The Commission, therefore,
does not see the (cid:145)poverty line(cid:146) of USD 1 a day as the only measure of poverty.

It also involves social and political participation, especially for women. On the government side, it involves
political responsibility, accountability, good governance and democracy. Reducing poverty therefore
implies addressing political, economic, social, environmental and institutional dimensions.