WRITTEN QUESTION P-3033/00 by Giorgos Katiforis (PSE) to the Council. EU-Turkey Partnership Agreement.
Date: 2000-09-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Türkiye, accession negotiations

C 151 E/44

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

22.5.2001

Is the Commission going to investigate the problem and take appropriate measures, or does it believe that
the environmental impact assessment already carried out provides adequate guarantees?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(13 November 2000)

The Honourable Member is referring to a letter sent by the Portuguese non-government organisation
(NGO) Quercus to the Commission objecting to the projected building of the new port of Vila Praia de
´ncora. That project, which would receive Community funding, would be a threat to a beach and a
Natura 2000 site. The Honourable Member is asking, in this connection, whether the Commission intends
to analyse the problem and take any action needed or whether, conversely, it feels that the environmental
impact study conducted offers sufficient guarantees.

the sites in question being affected by the project

Article 6(3) of Directive 92/43/EEC (1) states that any plan or project not directly connected with or
necessary to the management of the site but likely to have a significant effect thereon should be subject to
appropriate assessment of its implications for the site in view of the site(cid:146)s conservation aims. It has
emerged that the letter in question does not provide sufficiently precise information to enable the
likelihood of
to be analysed. For that reason
the Commission has written to the plaintiff in order to request further information which might show
that the project is likely to affect habitats and species whose protection has prompted the proposal
concerning the site in question. Moreover, the Commission is in the process of drafting a letter to be sent
to the Portuguese authorities in order to draw their attention to this matter and obtain their comments on
the subject. Finally, it should be pointed out, as regards the possibility of Community funding, that the
Commission will not fail to take account of this and to take any action considered to be the most
appropriate.

The Commission will not fail to keep the plaintiff informed of any further action that might be taken in
this instance.

(1) Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and wild fauna and flora

(OJ L 206, 22.7.1992).

(2001/C 151 E/055)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3033/00

by Giorgos Katiforis (PSE) to the Council

(20 September 2000)

Subject: EU-Turkey Partnership Agreement

At the Helsinki Summit it was decided that Turkey was a candidate for accession to the EU subject to
certain specific and expressly defined conditions.

The Commission is obviously concerned to ensure that summit decisions are implemented precisely, and
that the fundamental principles underpinning the outlook of European peoples and their governments are
fully observed. However, the violent reaction of a section of the Turkish press to the talks held by the
Commission delegation last July in Ankara creates the impression that certain parties may be attempting to
exclude from the draft of the Turkey-EU partnership agreement explicit references to the conditions
relating to Turkey(cid:146)s candidate status.

What steps will the Council take to ensure that the conditions which the Helsinki Summit attached to
Turkey(cid:146)s status as a candidate for accession, namely a settlement of the Cyprus problem, an improvement
in the human rights situation, resolution of the Kurdish problem, Turkish claims in the Aegean and their
settlement by the International Court in The Hague, the democratisation of the political system, together
with the other Helsinki political criteria (cid:129) are incorporated in the main body of the text and not the
preamble of the prospective partnership agreement?

22.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 151 E/45

Reply

(22 December 2000)

Turkey is a candidate State destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria that are applied to
like other candidate States,
the other candidate States. Under the current European strategy, Turkey,
benefits from a pre-accession strategy to stimulate and support its reforms. This includes enhanced political
dialogue, with the emphasis on progress towards fulfilment of the political criteria for accession with
particular reference to the issue of human rights and the issues referred to in paragraphs 4 and 9(a) of the
conclusions of the Helsinki European Council; those conclusions also provided for the establishment of an
accession partnership on the basis of previous European Council conclusions that will define the priorities
on which accession preparations must concentrate in the light of the political and economic criteria and
the obligations which Member States must fulfil, together with a national programme for the adoption of
the acquis.

The Commission proposal on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions contained in
the Accession Partnership with the Republic of Turkey was sent to the Council on 13 November 2000.
The Council has begun examining it.

(2001/C 151 E/056)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3037/00

by Samuli Pohjamo (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 September 2000)

Subject: Recruitment difficulties in connection with the Northern dimension

The Commission decided on an action plan for the Northern dimension during the Portuguese Presidency.
It appears from various sources that the Commission is having difficulties recruiting people to work in this
field.

That being so, what does the Commission propose to do to overcome the recruiting difficulties regarding
the Northern dimension?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 October 2000)

The European Council at Feira on 20 June 2000 endorsed the Northern dimension action plan and
concluded that the Commission would take a leading role in implementing it. The action plan foresees that
the Northern dimension should be implemented within existing frameworks and instruments and conse-
quently without additional budgetary or personnel resources. The Commission assures the Honourable
Member that the action plan is currently being implemented accordingly.

(2001/C 151 E/057)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3041/00

by Joachim Wuermeling (PPE-DE) to the Council

(29 September 2000)

Subject: Harmonisation of hallmarking provisions for goods made from precious metals

The adoption of the European Parliament and Council Directive on the approximation of the laws,
regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning working in precious metals
(COD 93/0472) has been held up in the Council of Ministers for some years now. In particular the