WRITTEN QUESTION E-3336/00 by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Attacks on press freedom in Austria.
Date: 2000-10-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Austria, censorship, democracy, extreme right, freedom of the press

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/93

(2001/C 163 E/099)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3336/00

by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(25 October 2000)

Subject: Attacks on press freedom in Austria

On Monday, 9 October 2000, as was reported in the most respected European newspapers, the journalists
of the State-run Austrian television service, ORF, spoke out with one voice against the massive pressure
being exerted by senior leaders of J(cid:246)rg Haider(cid:146)s Freedom Party (FP(cid:214)) and their intolerable attempts to
censor the station(cid:146)s editorial staff and management. One of the main culprits has been the head of the FP(cid:214)
parliamentary group, Peter Westenthaler, who within the space of a single day intervened on as many as
22 occasions in an attempt to obstruct the journalists(cid:146) work, influence the subjects covered and the format
and scope of reports, and demand (cid:145)counter-reports(cid:146) whenever the television news was not to his liking.

Furthermore, according to Profil magazine, the management of the State television service has opened an
internal
investigation to discover why the text of news items was leaked to politicians before the
programmes concerned had even been broadcast. Lastly, another source has revealed that two police-
officers have been implicated in a criminal plan to (cid:145)physically punish(cid:146) the television presenter Josef Bronkal
for his severe criticism of J(cid:246)rg Haider(cid:146)s party.

In the light of the statement issued on 12 September 2000,
in which the 14 Union governments
announced that they were lifting the diplomatic sanctions imposed on Austria but at the same time
pointed to the need to keep an especially close watch on J(cid:246)rg Haider(cid:146)s Freedom Party, does the Council not
believe that the Union institutions should roundly and unambiguously condemn the continuing blatant
attacks on freedom of the Press, and hence democracy, being mounted in Austria?

Reply

(12 February 2001)

The Council has not been informed of this issue which,
authorities.

in any case,

is a matter for the Austrian

(2001/C 163 E/100)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3341/00

by Bartho Pronk (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(25 October 2000)

Subject: Obstacle to the free movement of workers by car

Residents of the Netherlands are not permitted to drive a car with a foreign number plate. Eight weeks are
needed to obtain a Dutch number plate.

Practical problems arise as a result. Anyone who goes to the Netherlands with the intention of becoming
established there for any period of time is deemed to be a (cid:145)resident(cid:146) within the meaning of the law. In
accordance with the Highway Code, a new resident in possession of a car is obliged to fit his car with
a Dutch number plate.

Under European law job-seekers are permitted to spend three months, on full unemployment benefit,
looking for a job in another Member State. If a European job-seeker goes to the Netherlands in search of a
job he is deemed to be a resident pursuant to Dutch law and is therefore obliged to fit his car with a Dutch
number plate. Until he has done so he is not allowed to use his car.

To what extent does the Commission regard the Dutch law in question as an obstacle to the
1.
opportunities available to job-seekers from outside the Netherlands for looking for work in the Nether-
lands?

Does the Commission believe that the Dutch law in question is an obstacle to the free movement of

2.
workers?