WRITTEN QUESTION E-2370/00 by Robert Evans (PSE) to the Commission. Bonded labour.
Date: 2000-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Pakistan, child labour, common foreign and security policy, right to work

3.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 103 E/137

(2001/C 103 E/152)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2369/00

by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 July 2000)

Subject: Commission fisheries policy

What is the position of the Commission on the discard and dumping of fish, in view of dwindling fish
stocks in our waters?

Will the Commission pledge to concentrate on finding a solution to this serious problem, before and
throughout the preparations for the review of the CFP in 2002?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(7 September 2000)

It is clear that the capture of fish, mainly juveniles, which are then discarded, dead or moribund,
contrary to the conservation and sustainability of fish stocks.

is

The Commission is committed to finding means by which such practices are significantly reduced and,
wherever possible, completely eliminated. Council Regulation (EC) No 850/98 of 30 March 1998 for the
conservation of fishery resources through technical measures for the protection of juveniles of marine
organisms (1) dealing with factors such as mesh sizes and closed areas represents a considerable revision of
its predecessor. The Commission will keep abreast of future developments leading to improvement in
selectivity of fishing gears and will make every effort to ensure that such progress is reflected within
Community legislation.

This issue will be addressed in the Commission(cid:146)s green paper on the common fisheries policy after 2002,
which will be issued early in 2001.

(1) OJ L 125, 27.4.1998.

(2001/C 103 E/153)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2370/00

by Robert Evans (PSE) to the Commission

(13 July 2000)

Subject: Bonded labour

With reference to the Commission(cid:146)s response to my written question (P-0359/00 (1), 8 March 2000), will
the Commission provide details for each year since the Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act of 1992 was
passed, on:

1. The number of investigations undertaken by the Government of Pakistan into the scope and scale of

bonded labour?

2. The number of successful convictions against people who were prosecuted under the Bonded Labour

(Abolition) Act, 1992 for using bonded labourers?

3. The number of bonded labourers who have been rehabilitated since the passage of the Bonded Labour

(Abolition) Act, 1992?

(1) OJ C 374 E, 28.12.2000, p. 58.

C 103 E/138

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.4.2001

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(12 September 2000)

took up these questions with the Pakistani
The Commission,
authorities on behalf of the Honourable Member, in response to a letter from him of 1st February 2000.

through its delegation in Islamabad,

The authorities in Pakistan have since declared that the year 2000 would be observed in their country as
the Year of human rights and human dignity. At a human rights convention in April 2000, launching this
including the
initiative,
elimination of bonded labour. In these circumstances, the Commission will ask its delegation in Islamabad
to take up these questions once again with the relevant ministry, and will communicate the response to
the Honourable Member.

the Chief executive, General Musharraf, announced a package of measures,

(2001/C 103 E/154)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2371/00

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(13 July 2000)

Subject: DVD discs and competition

In response to my questions E-1509/00 and E-1510/00 (1) on 14 June, Commissioner Monti justified the
anti-competitive behaviour of producers of DVD players and discs by arguing that the encoding of new
releases according to the region of the world enables the producers of motion pictures to protect their
copyrighted intellectual property and the traditional pattern of releasing their films at different times in
different parts of the world.

I think this is a convenient excuse by the producers of motion pictures to justify sharp differential pricing
around the world. Even if this were to be the case it still provides no justification ONCE the films have
been globally released for not producing them in an (cid:145)all regions(cid:146) version, because at this stage there is no
longer the justification of regional coding being used by film producers to exercise their rights under
copyright law. This leaves the suspicion that the main purpose is profit maximisation by the abuse of a
dominant position.

Will the Commission therefore undertake to contact the producers of DVD discs to say that subsequent
edition, after release in all regions, should not be regionally encoded? If not, would the Commission care to
specify its reason?

(1) OJ C 53 E, 20.2.2001.

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(28 September 2000)

In its reply of 14 June 2000 to written questions E-1509/00 and E-1510/00 (1) by the Honourable
Member, the Commission explained that regional coding of digital versatile discs (DVDs) and DVD players
enables film production companies to protect their copyrighted intellectual property and the traditional
pattern of releasing their films at different times in different parts of the world.

With regard to the Honourable Member(cid:146)s present question, the Commission notes firstly that the capability
for regional coding is a technological feature built into DVDs and DVD players. It is part of the standard
specifications for DVD technology. However, it is not the DVDs and DVD players that decide whether or
not a particular film should be regionally encoded. This is decided unilaterally by each film production
company. The Commission therefore interprets the question of the Honourable Member as requesting it to
examine the behaviour of film production companies and not producers of DVD discs.