WRITTEN QUESTION E-2514/00 by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Council. United Nations trade embargo on Iraq.
Date: 2000-07-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Iraq, UN resolution, UNO, disarmament, international sanctions, trade restriction

C 113 E/112

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.4.2001

(2001/C 113 E/112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2513/00

by Phillip Whitehead (PSE) to the Commission

(2 August 2000)

Subject: Safety standards for cigarette lighters

What is the latest Commission position, from the point of view of consumer and child safety, on safety
standards for cigarette lighters, with particular regard to: cheap imports, flame height, catalytic lighters and
structural strength?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(13 October 2000)

With regard to the different safety aspects, the Honourable Member is invited to refer to the answer given
to written questions E-1798/98 from Mrs Larive and E-1988/98 and E-1989/98 from Mr Bowe (1).

Proposals for new and redrafted standards, in particular on the introduction of safety mechanisms for
children, have now been completed. They have been submitted to the national standardisation bodies for
their opinion. If the final voting procedure is successful the new standards could be published within
12-18 months.

With regard to imports of dangerous (cid:145)cheap(cid:146)
initiatives for
improving co-operation between national authorities responsible for product safety and customs autho-
rities are being taken. In particular an ad hoc working group consisting of representatives of industry,
enforcement authorities, the European committee for standardization (CEN) and the Commission has been
created.

lighters from third countries, different

Specific actions in the framework of the Customs 2002 programme are foreseen to increase market
surveillance.

(1) OJ C 13, 20.1.1999.

(2001/C 113 E/113)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2514/00

by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Council

(26 July 2000)

Subject: United Nations trade embargo on Iraq

Given that for almost ten years, the United Nations trade embargo against Iraq has been unable to force
the Iraqi Government to surrender its weapons of mass destruction, that the Iraqi people has suffered
tremendously under the embargo, which has led to high crime rates, rampant unemployment, malnutri-
tion, widespread disease, and infrastructure breakdown and that the mismanaged and abused oil-for-food
scheme has largely failed as a humanitarian effort;

Would the Council provide a critical evaluation of the performance of the trade embargo vis-(cid:224)-vis its
objectives, comment on whether it thinks the embargo should continue (cid:129) and, if so, in what form (cid:129) and
outline its future strategy on Iraq?

Reply

(20 November 2000)

1.
It is true that the objective of the embargo on Iraq and the (cid:145)oil for food(cid:146) programme of forcing the
Iraqi Government to surrender its weapons of mass destruction while avoiding excessive suffering and
deprivation among the Iraqi people has not been fully attained. While the weapons inspectors mandated

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 113 E/113

by the UN have succeeded in partly dismantling the Iraqi arsenal of weapons of mass destruction (WMD),
the Iraqi Government has not cooperated with the UN and its subsidiary bodies. It has not been possible to
carry out any inspections since 1998 to verify Iraqi compliance with the relevant Resolutions on weapons
programmes.

The Council welcomes the setting up of a United Nations working group to put forward general
2.
recommendations on how to make UN sanctions more effective, in particular by targeting them better, and
how to avoid unnecessary human suffering.

Resolution 1284/99 of the United Nations Security Council of 17 December 1999 offers Baghdad
3.
the possibility of having sanctions suspended if the Iraqi Government cooperates fully with disarmament
inspectors. Sanctions can be lifted only after Iraq has fulfilled the obligations laid down in the Security
Council resolutions. Until then, the declared embargo will continue to apply. The EU fully implements all
Security Council Resolutions.

4.
Cooperation by the Iraqi Government and compliance with UN Resolutions are necessary if the
situation is to be improved. All EU action will be taken within the framework of these Resolutions, in
particular Resolution 1284.

5.
The Council has noted that in its Resolution 1302 of 8 June 2000, the United Nations Security
Council has called on the UN Secretary-General to appoint independent experts to prepare a detailed
report containing an analysis of the humanitarian situation in Iraq, and of humanitarian needs arising from
that situation, and recommendations on how to address those needs.

6. Within the framework of the existing Resolutions, over the coming months the Council will be
receiving concrete proposals concerning EU/Iraqi cooperation in the humanitarian and cultural fields.

(2001/C 113 E/114)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2516/00

by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission

(2 August 2000)

Subject: Structural Funds

Could the Commission indicate whether any competition issues are involved in the use of Structural Funds
to create venture capital? Is it true that such an initiative could be declared illegal?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(29 September 2000)

The Commission in its guidelines for the structural funds 2000-2006 encourages the use of financial
engineering instruments instead of grants for productive investment. Measures in the form of venture
capital are one such type of instrument. At the same time Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of
21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the structural funds (1), provides that operations financed
by the funds shall be in conformity with the provisions of the EC Treaty, with instruments adopted under
it and with Community policies and actions,
in
particular, the state aid rules.

including the rules on competition. This includes,

In planning the programmes of the European regional development fund (ERDF), the Commission, in
collaboration with the national authorities, implements the structural funds guidelines for developing risk
or venture capital funds with particular regard to innovative and high tech small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).

Any measure which distorts or threatens to distort competition by affecting trade between Member States
is liable to fall within the definition of state aid in Article 87(1) (ex Article 92) of the EC Treaty, unless it
falls under one of the exemptions in Article 87(2) and 87(3). State aid which is put into effect without
prior notification to and authorisation by the Commission is illegal because it breaches the obligation in
Article 88(3) (ex Article 93) of the Treaty.