WRITTEN QUESTION E-0040/01 by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Commission. Human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.
Date: 2001-01-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Saudi Arabia, cooperation agreement (EU), death penalty, human rights, political cooperation

C 364 E/6

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

Telecom Italia was not involved in the process of calculating the cost of the access service, except to
provide the required accounting data or details on the accounting methodology used. As regards the Italian
former senior official mentioned by the Honourable Member, who is currently working within Telecom
Italia, this is a purely internal Italian matter on which the Commission cannot comment.

The Commission has received a letter from consumers(cid:146) associations, questioning the relevance and
legitimacy of its action with regard to the rebalancing of tariffs. It has replied to this letter, which seemed
to be based on misunderstandings, by explaining the grounds for its action. The Commission does not call
into question the (cid:145)price cap(cid:146) principle introduced by AGCOM. Consequently, if Telecom Italia increases its
annual subscription rate, it will have to reduce other prices to remain below the ceiling set for 2001 and
2002. For the average consumer, this operation will involve no extra cost. Lastly the Commission has not
imposed an increase in the annual subscription rate, let alone fixed its amount, and has merely set out the
legal constraints to which it was itself subject.

Lastly, no member of the office of the Commissioner responsible for Competition has a conflict of
interests.

(2001/C 364 E/007)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0040/01

by Jeffrey Titford (EDD) to the Commission

(18 January 2001)

Subject: Human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia

I am informed that the European Commission has addressed a number of issues involving the death
penalty in Saudi Arabia and the execution of young people under the age of 18 years.

I understand that these matters have been raised with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

representations has the European Commission made to the Gulf Cooperation Council,

What
Government of Saudi Arabia or any other bodies, when did it do so, and what was the outcome?

the

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2001)

The Commission is concerned about the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia including the extensive
use of the death penalty. However, there is no specific agreement with Saudi Arabia, which would allow
a direct exchange of views and dialogue on these issues with the Saudi government.

A regular political dialogue has been established within the context of the Cooperation Agreement
between the Community and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which includes the United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait.

In this dialogue, human rights is an important part of the agenda. In the last two years, the situation in
Saudi Arabia and in the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been discussed extensively at
the yearly senior officials and Ministerial meetings between the Union and the GCC. This development
follows the increased interest in the human rights situation in the region by the EU, which was also
expressed at the last two annual meetings of the United Nations Commission on human rights, where the
Union raised the situation in Saudi Arabia, including the issue of the death penalty.