WRITTEN QUESTION P-2382/00 by Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Death of refugees at the EU's external borders.
Date: 2000-07-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: external border of the EU, illegal migration, mortality, refugee, statistics

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/195

(2001/C 81 E/249)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2382/00

by Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Death of refugees at the EU(cid:146)s external borders

(7 July 2000)

1.
How many refugees were found dead, and how many found injured, at the EU(cid:146)s external borders in
1999 and in the first six months of 2000? (Please give a breakdown by month, origin of the refugees,
where found (country and region) and nature of injuries).

2. What action is the Commission taking to prevent future (cid:145)tragedies(cid:146) such as the death of 58 refugees
in Dover?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2000)

It is not possible to produce a statistical breakdown on the number of refugees found dead at the external
borders of the European Union because such statistics are not available at Community level. The Statistical
Office of the European Community (Eurostat) neither collects, nor otherwise possesses, figures on this
issue.

The Commission shares the feelings and concerns caused by the tragedy of Dover. It considers that this
event illustrates in a particularly dramatic way the need for a common policy in the area of illegal
immigration, balancing both the fight against the international criminal networks organising the trafficking
in human beings, and the provision of appropriate protection to those falling victim to it.

The Commission recalls that the framework for such a balanced policy has already been outlined in the
conclusions of the Tampere European Council of 15/16 October 1999. For the implementation of these
conclusions, clear deadlines have been set by the European Council as well as by the Treaty of Amsterdam.
Accordingly, in order to achieve sustainable results, any common policy in this field will have to pursue a
global approach. This implies, as was explicitly recognised in the Tampere conclusions, that the Commun-
ity will have to develop a closer partnership with countries of origin and transit on migration issues, to put
in place a common asylum regime, to ensure a fair treatment of third country nationals legally residing on
the territory of a Member State and to achieve a more efficient management of migration flows,
in
particular by tackling illegal
immigration at its source, especially by combatting those who engage in
trafficking in human beings and economic exploitation of migrants.

It would clearly go beyond the framework of this reply to list, in all details, the numerous actions and
initiatives in the first and third pillar that have already been launched or planned. Instead, the Commission
refers the Honourable Member to its scoreboard, published on 24 March 2000 (1), as well as to the joint
declaration of the Council and the Commission on the events in Dover, delivered at the plenary session of
the Parliament on 4 July 2000.

(1) COM(2000) 167 final.

(2001/C 81 E/250)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2388/00

by Rosemarie M(cid:252)ller (PSE) to the Commission

(7 July 2000)

Subject: School hours

In Europe school hours are organised in two ways: there are half-day schools and whole-day schools.
In the light of the recent report on the standard of school education, does the Commission have any
evidence to suggest a correlation between standards of educational attainment and school hours?