WRITTEN QUESTION E-2954/00 by Emmanouil Mastorakis (PSE) to the Commission. Presentation of report on economic and social cohesion.
Date: 2000-09-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: development region, economic and social cohesion, report

C 163 E/22

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2001

Reply

(26 February 2001)

The Council

is perfectly aware of the specific issue raised by the Honourable Member, which,
1.
moreover, concerns not only the relations governed by agreement between the EU and Turkey, but also
other international obligations on the part of Turkey. As early as 1998 the Presidency of the Union raised
this problem with the Turkish side in the margins of a meeting at the OECD. Likewise, the matter is
regularly on the agenda for the proceedings of the Joint Committee of the Customs Union bringing
together the EU and Turkey, and, in particular, was discussed at the Committee(cid:146)s meeting on 8 December
2000.

2.
In addition, at a meeting of the Council(cid:146)s competent preparatory bodies, the Commission, which,
within its sphere of competence, also has to address the matter, announced that it had raised this problem
with the Turkish side last October during the first round of negotiations with Turkey on services and
public procurement. It also raises the matter regularly in its periodic reports on the progress made by
Turkey towards accession, and notably in its last report dated 13 November 2000.

3.
The Council would remind the Honourable Member that in its address before the UN General
Assembly on 12 September 2000, the Presidency, speaking on behalf of the Union, considered that the
status quo in Cyprus was unacceptable and stated that it supported the UN Secretary-General(cid:146)s efforts to
reach a negotiated, overall, just and lasting settlement in line with the Security Council(cid:146)s resolutions.

(2001/C 163 E/021)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2954/00

by Emmanouil Mastorakis (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Presentation of report on economic and social cohesion

(20 September 2000)

Under the terms of Article 159 of the Treaty, the Commission is at least a year late in submitting its
second report on the progress made in achieving economic and social cohesion in the regions of the
European Union.

In view of the fact that the data and proposals in the report will obviously form the basis for setting a new
strategy for economic and social cohesion, when will the Commission be ready to present the report?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(8 November 2000)

The EC Treaty, as the Honourable Member points out, requires the Commission to report on economic
and social cohesion every three years. The first report was adopted in November 1996 (1), so the second
one was due at the end of 1999. However, it was decided to postpone the preparation and publication of
the second report until the beginning of 2001, for the following reasons.

The Sixth Periodic Report on the social and economic situation and development of the regions of the
European Union (2) was published early in 1999. Since no more recent figures were available by the end of
1999 as a basis for drawing up the cohesion report, this would have meant that the Commission would
have adopted two reports containing largely the same statistical data.

implementation of

The first phase of
i.e.
determining the areas eligible under Objectives 1 and 2, adoption of the Community support frameworks
and single programming documents for Objective 1, and ex ante evaluations, will provide the Commission
with more relevant information than was available a year earlier.

the new rules for the 2000-2006 programming period,

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/23

The publication of the report at the beginning of 2001 will also launch a wide-ranging debate at
Community level on the future guidelines for cohesion policy in an enlarged European Union and on the
relationship between cohesion and the other two components of Community integration, i.e. the internal
market and economic and monetary union.

A forum on cohesion is to be held for that purpose in May 2001, with the participation of Parliament.

ISBN 92-827-8881-4.

(1)
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/document/doc1_en.htm

http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/document/radi/radi_en.htm.

(2001/C 163 E/022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2965/00

by Isidoro SÆnchez Garc(cid:237)a (ELDR) to the Council

(25 September 2000)

Subject: Evolution of democracy in Cuba and EU-Cuba cooperation

What is the Council(cid:146)s view on the evolution of the government of Cuba in relation to any progress made
towards democracy, since the adoption in 1996 of a common position on Cuba? Is the Council willing,
should the question arise, to maintain a position of non-isolation of the Cuban regime coupled with
continued cooperation and humanitarian aid to the Cuban people?

Reply

(12 February 2001)

1.
The Council has taken note of the eighth evaluation of the EU Common Position on Cuba. It has
noted that, since the last evaluation in June, although there continue to be mixed signals there has not
been a fundamental change of policy on the part of
the Cuban Government, either towards the
accomplishment of the aims of the Common Position or in the opposite direction.

2.
Despite the Cuban authorities(cid:146) cancellation of the visit to Havana which the EU Troika was due to
make at the end of April 2000 and the withdrawal of Cuba(cid:146)s application to accede to the Cotonou
Agreement, the Council, in its seventh evaluation of the Common Position, considered it essential that the
EU deploy further efforts to engage the Cuban authorities in a constructive and frank dialogue on a variety
of issues of common interest that might actually produce tangible results, particularly in the political,
economic and civil rights spheres. Along these lines, at its meeting on 4/5 December 2000 the Council
restated that the EU(cid:146)s objective vis-(cid:224)-vis Cuba, as established in the Common Position, is still to encourage
a process of peaceful
for human rights and fundamental
freedoms, as well as a sustainable economy and economic recovery and improvement in the living
standards of the Cuban people.

transition to pluralist democracy, respect

3.
The Council notes that the European Union is currently Cuba(cid:146)s principal economic partner. Against
a backdrop of economic problems affecting Cuba, and primarily the most vulnerable sectors of the
population, the Council considers that the European Union should nevertheless continue its present
cooperation effort (cid:129) as described in the eighth evaluation (cid:129) which might also extend to environmental
protection and the prevention of natural disasters, in line with the objectives of the Common Position.

The Council would remind the Honourable Member

4.
the
Common Position on Cuba established in December 1996, it is not European Union policy to try to
bring about change by coercive measures with the effect of increasing the economic hardship of the Cuban
people.

in line with point 1 of

that,