WRITTEN QUESTION E-3502/00 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Compensation for criminal injuries.
Date: 2000-11-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: area of freedom, security and justice, crime against individuals, indemnification

C 174 E/64

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

intermediate objectives and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership for Turkey. The solution to
the questions raised remains strictly within the framework of the Helsinki European Council conclusions,
which form the defining basis for relations between the European Union and Turkey in the context of the
pre-accession process. In the short term, the Cyprus issue and, in the medium term, the issue of the
settlement of territorial disputes are referred to in the abovementioned decision as elements of the political
dialogue and political criteria. It is clear that the political dialogue must not ignore any of the issues which
will have to be dealt with in the context of new partnership relations between the EU and Turkey.

Furthermore,

2.
the Accession Partnership indicates the priority areas for Turkey(cid:146)s membership
preparations. It should therefore be equally clear (cid:129) and moreover, this is explicitly stated in the draft
Decision (cid:129) that Turkey must address all issues identified in the Regular Report. Turkey is expected to
adopt a national programme for the adoption of the acquis on the basis of its Accession Partnership. That
programme does not form an integral part of the Partnership, but its priorities should be compatible with
it. The Council has, in that respect, taken note of the European Commission(cid:146)s recent progress report on
Turkey in which the reforms in Turkey necessary for EU accession are clearly set out.

3.
The Council would remind the Honourable Member that the Helsinki European Council reaffirmed
that compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria is a prerequisite for the opening of accession
negotiations.

(2001/C 174 E/064)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3502/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 November 2000)

Subject: Compensation for criminal injuries

Does the Commission have any plans to introduce legislation regarding harmonisation of criminal injury
compensation schemes, or the setting of minimum criteria thereof?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(22 January 2001)

The situation of crime victims in the Union has been addressed on several occasions in the Parliament and
by the Commission. In 1998 it was discussed in the Council and victims(cid:146) rights were included in the
Vienna Action Plan on Freedom, Security and Justice (1). The plan suggests that a survey of compensation
schemes and an assessment of the feasibility of taking action within the Union are issues that should be
addressed within five years.

Following this, the Commission presented a Communication to the Council, the Parliament and the
Economic and Social Committee in July 1999 (2).

The importance of the issue is reiterated in the conclusions of the European Council of Tampere (point 32)
that focus on the protection of victims of crime, in particular on their access to justice and their rights to
compensation for damages, including legal costs.

Following the conclusions of Tampere, the Commission attended a Union experts(cid:146) seminar in Umea,
Sweden, organised by the incoming Swedish Presidency in October 2000. The aim of the seminar was to
address the issue of compensation for crime victims from different angles in order to form a basis for
subsequent strategic considerations and initiatives.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Taking into account the conclusions of the seminar and ongoing discussions with experts, the Commission
will present a green paper on the subject in 2001, as indicated in the updated version of the scoreboard to
review progress on the creation of an area of (cid:145)Freedom, Security and Justice(cid:146) in the European Union (3).

(1) OJ C 19, 23.1.1999.
(2) COM(1999) 349 final.
(3) COM(2000) 782 final.

(2001/C 174 E/065)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3503/00

by Jules Maaten (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 November 2000)

Subject: Number of European Commission officials working on the cancer programme

Following up on your reply to my question P-2798/00 (1) regarding the WHO Report on Influence of
1.
the Tobacco Industry, in which the Commission replied that at this moment in the Cancer Programme the
Commission employs in addition to the head of the service and his deputy one A official, one part-time B
official and one part-time national expert, can the Commission confirm that on 10 September 1993 the
cancer programme employed a total of 32 officials?

If so, can the Commission explain the decrease in the number of officials in this programme within
2.
seven years from more than 30 to less than five, when at the same time this programme had a priority in
the work of the Commission as is shown by the legislative initiatives taken by the Commission?

(1) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(18 January 2001)

It is not appropriate to make the kind of comparison the Honourable Member seeks to make. In the early
1990s, the only public health programmes managed by the Public Health Directorate were the cancer and
aids programmes. Since then, programmes relating to health promotion, drugs, health monitoring, rare
diseases, injuries prevention and pollution related diseases have been adopted and required management by
that same Directorate.

Moreover, until the summer of 1999, the Public Health Directorate benefited from the support of a
technical assistance office (TAO), comprising around 30 staff. The contract with the TAO was not renewed
last year, in accordance with the Commission(cid:146)s overall approach to TAOs.

The Public Health Directorate was integrated into the new Directorate General for Health and Consumer
Protection on 1 October 1999. The resources allocated to work on the cancer programme have not been
decreased since then. Indeed, during 2000, additional external personnel have been added on a temporary
basis to assist with the programme(cid:146)s budgetary management.