WRITTEN QUESTION E-0034/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Depopulation of sparsely populated rural areas in Colombia as a result of American poisoning of vegetation.
Date: 2001-01-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Colombia, EU policy, defoliation, depopulation, destruction of crops, establishment of peace, fight against crime, herbicide, narcotic

3.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187 E/163

Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(15 March 2001)

The Commission can confirm that, in light of the Court of Auditors Special Report No 1/99, the European
anti-fraud office (OLAF) did carry out the follow-up checks mentioned by the Honourable Member.

In this regard, the Commission would answer the specific questions raised by the Honourable Member as
follows:

(a) For reasons of confidentiality the names of the companies concerned may not be given.

(b) and (c) Two controls were conducted by OLAF. The first in the Netherlands, in June 1999 at the
premises of the buttermilk producer who received the aid and the second in Germany in July 1999 at
the premises of the buttermilk recipient. In both cases, these checks were conducted in partnership
with the national authorities under Council Regulation (EEC) No 595/91 of 4 March 1991 concerning
irregularities and the recovery of sums wrongly paid in connection with the financing of the common
agricultural policy and the organization of an information system in this field and repealing
Regulation (EEC) No 283/72 (1).

(d) Having conducted its on-the-spot checks, and clarified certain legal aspects on the general operation of
this measure, OLAF concluded that there were no grounds for suspecting that anything irregular had
occurred. The two Member States concerned were informed of the outcome in May 2000 and the
matter closed.

The Honourable Member may also wish to note that the scheme concerned, Council Regulation (EEC)
No 1105/68 of the Commission of 27 July 1968 on detailed rules for granting aid for skimmed milk for
use as feed (2), which provided for a subsidy on such buttermilk being used directly as animal feeding stuff,
was abolished on 31 December 1999 as part of the review of and legal changes made to the Common
Agricultural Policy support measures at that time.

(1) OJ L 67, 14.3.1991.
(2) OJ L 184, 29.7.1968.

(2001/C 187 E/175)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0034/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(18 January 2001)

Subject: Depopulation of sparsely populated rural areas in Colombia as a result of American poisoning of

vegetation

Can the Council confirm that the aerial spraying of the pesticide (cid:145)Round Up(cid:146) under the (cid:145)Colombia
1.
Plan(cid:146) is not confined to combating the cultivation of coca plants but, according to Dutch television reports,
is now also aimed at virgin primeval forest high up in the mountains, even though this has no connection
at all with discouraging the production of raw materials for drugs?

2.
How does it view the impression that has arisen in the meantime that this pesticide is increasingly
being used to contaminate water supplies with the result that the settlements located downstream become
uninhabitable and depopulated and that it is not the cultivation of raw materials for drugs that is harmed
by this action but the living environment of rebellious peasant farmers?

3.
Does it share my fear that expelling people and destroying their livelihoods may result in their
becoming dependent on involvement in the trade and production of drugs since this is the easiest way for
them to acquire a new source of income and that, as a result, the opposite is achieved of the reasoning
that is used to justify the destruction of the living environment?

C 187 E/164

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.7.2001

How does it view such an attempt to depopulate remote areas and banish the inhabitants to the
4.
towns which recalls the tragedy in Vietnam where attempts were made in the 60s and 70s, also through
American intervention, to make disputed areas uninhabitable for human beings with defoliants (the
notorious (cid:145)Agent Orange(cid:146))?

Is it prepared to make every effort to help put an end to any repetition of such a tragedy and, as
5.
a first step to that end, to ensure that neither the European Union nor its Member States end up in
a situation where they have to share responsibility for this tragedy?

Reply

(24 April 2001)

the Honourable Member

As
the Council has had the opportunity to inform the
European Parliament on its position on the activities in Colombia at various occasions: the last time on
31 January 2001 during the debate between the Parliament with Commissioner Nielson and Swedish State
Secretary Lars Danielsson on Plan Colombia.

is aware,

The Council is following very closely the complex and multifaceted problems faced by Colombia and has
expressed its determination to support the peace process in the most appropriate manner.

On the question of aerial spraying of illicit crops, the European Union has had the opportunity to express
its position to Colombian authorities, and in particular to express doubts about the effectiveness of the
measure. The European Union has encouraged Colombian initiatives related to independent international
monitoring of aerial spraying on the basis of procedures established by Colombian authorities. The EU has
also pointed out to Colombian authorities the danger of a negative impact of the aerial spraying on past
and future EU cooperation projects. Finally, the EU has had the occasion to express its conviction that crop
substitution is the most effective means to combat illicit crop production.

The European Union is working on an autonomous European package to support the peace process in
Colombia, which will be directed to modernising Colombian administration, strengthening the rule of law,
developing alternative crops and protecting the environment.

At present, an expert mission has travelled to Colombia in order to identify concrete cooperation projects.
The European package will be presented on the occasion of the international meeting on the peace process
in Colombia to take place in Brussels in April this year.

Finally, the European Union has also contributed with € 6,5 million to projects concerning displaced
population and contributes to the fight against drug production through various means.

(2001/C 187 E/176)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0035/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Izquierdo Rojo (PSE) to the Commission

(16 January 2001)

Subject: Discrimination against male pensioners as regards child allowances

France(cid:146)s implementation of legislation governing child allowances is discriminatory and unfair to male
pensioners, since the national civilian and military retirement pension scheme makes provision for the
payment of child allowances only to women or to men under discriminatory conditions. In Germany, on
the other hand, child allowances are paid without distinction and in equal amounts to either men or
women.

Since this discrimination against men is an infringement of the EU Treaties and does not respect the
principle of equality between men and women in the field of social security, nor the principle of equal pay,
and since the Commission should ensure compliance with the principle of equality between the sexes and
enable European men to benefit from the policies on equality, does it not consider that it should remedy
this form of discrimination?