WRITTEN QUESTION E-2998/00 by Marie-Thérèse Hermange (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Food aid programme for the most deprived persons in the European Union.
Date: 2000-09-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU stock, European Union, agricultural surplus, food aid, non-governmental organisation, poverty

8.5.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 136 E/151

However, to date, the Council has not received any specific request for the provision of assistance to the
new Pakistan commission to protect women(cid:146)s rights and help raise their status. Nonetheless, the Council
can assure the Honourable Member that it will give favourable consideration to any request along these
lines.

(2001/C 136 E/176)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2996/00

by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Council

(25 September 2000)

Subject: Democratic Republic of Congo

Is the Council aware of the predicament of the media in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the
assumption of power by Kabila in 1997? Since his inauguration more than 130 journalists and media
workers have been harassed, beaten, arbitrarily imprisoned, or forced into exile.

In view of the plight of the two Kinshasa journalists held and charged with high treason against the state,
what are the Council(cid:146)s intentions?

Reply

(20/21 December 2000)

The Council has been fully aware of the difficult situation faced by the media in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo for many years, and unfortunately the situation has not improved since President Kabila
came to power. Although the cases raised by the Honourable Member have not been specifically brought
to its attention, the Council has reacted on several occasions to events in the country and has a well-
established policy on the crisis in the Great Lakes region. During its discussion on 22 May 2000 on
conflicts in Africa, the Council expressed its deep concern specifically concerning the continuous human
rights violations that are perpetrated by both state and non-state parties in the Great Lakes region.
Recently, in a declaration made on 22 September 2000, the Union also recalled that a return to peace in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region is conditional upon respect for the rules
of international law, protection of the population and of human rights and the restoration of democracy.

Within the United Nations framework, the European Union has also taken the initiative,
in the Third
Committee and the Human Rights Committee, of putting forward texts with a view to adopting resolutions
on the human rights situation in that country.

The Council can assure the Honourable Member that it will continue to ensure respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms in all cases, including respect for freedom of the press, and will pay close
attention to the fate of journalists who are wrongfully accused. Moreover, the Council will continue to
exert diplomatic pressure, notably through the work undertaken by its Special Envoy for the Great Lakes
region to support the implementation of the Lusaka agreement, which is the only instrument capable of
producing a negotiated solution to the conflict and restoring peace, stability and democracy in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.

(2001/C 136 E/177)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2998/00

by Marie-ThØrŁse Hermange (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 September 2000)

Subject: Food aid programme for the most deprived persons in the European Union

According to the study conducted by the ADE consultancy firm at the Commission(cid:146)s request, the European
Union(cid:146)s food aid programme, a product of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3149/92 (1), has demon-
strated its social benefits and its relevance, given the persistent presence of poverty in Europe.

C 136 E/152

Official Journal of the European Communities

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8.5.2001

In the light of these observations, how does the Commission plan to boost this programme in future years,
whilst maintaining the variety of the products distributed to those who need them most?

In particular, will it indicate how it intends to make use of the changes to the rules introduced in 1995 (by
Council Regulation (EC) No 2535/95 (2)), which authorise the purchase of temporarily unavailable products
on the Community market?

(1) OJ L 313, 30.10.1992, p. 50.
(2) OJ L 260, 31.10.1995, p. 3.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(18 October 2000)

As the Honourable Member points out, the study carried out in 1999 at the Commission(cid:146)s request
confirmed that the aid measure disposes of agricultural surpluses from intervention stocks in a manner
which benefits deprived persons in the Community.

The Commission has had occasion to propose to the budgetary authority that the appropriations allocated
to the measure should be increased from the original € 100 million in 1988 to € 200 million in more
recent preliminary draft budgets. Several times since 1997 the budgetary authority has reduced the overall
amount which the Commission was proposing to allocate to the measure.

The programme constitutes one source of supply for the associations which benefit from it (cid:129) and which
worked without it before its entry into force. After finding out what the associations need, Member States
taking part in the programme inform the Commission of their preferences from among all the products
available from intervention. The market organisation reforms undertaken in respect of the products
concerned may mean that a product is absent long term from intervention stocks and hence unavailable
under the programme.

In so far as the overall budget remains unchanged, that absence can be offset by increasing other products(cid:146)
quantity. The associations will therefore ask their other sources of supply for more of the products which
are no longer obtainable at European level and for correspondingly less of other products. The programme
is not, and is not intended to become, the only source of supply for the associations which benefit from it.

As in the past the Commission intends to continue to apply Council Regulation (EC) No 2535/95 of
24 October 1995 amending Regulation (EEC) No 3730/87 laying down the general rules for the supply of
food from intervention stocks to designated organisations for distribution to the most deprived persons in
the Community (1), which permits it to authorise the purchase of a product on the market if that product
is temporarily unavailable from intervention stocks.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2535/95 of 24 October 1995 (OJ L 260, 31.10.1995).

(2001/C 136 E/178)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2999/00

by Luciano Caveri (ELDR) to the Commission

(20 September 2000)

Subject: EU standards for hands-free telephones

The massive increase in the use of mobile telephones means that drivers in all Union countries also use
them whilst they are in their cars, although legal obligations differ from country to country, for example as
regards the permitted use of earphones connected to mobile phones, instead of the devices known as
(cid:145)speakerphones(cid:146).

Does the Commission not consider it would be useful to lay down Community standards in order to
introduce greater uniformity within the Union?