WRITTEN QUESTION E-0170/01 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Establishment of city twinning network.
Date: 2001-02-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Mediterranean region (EU), cultural identity, twinning

C 187 E/198

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.7.2001

the island. Mr Tsiakourmas who has been a refugee since the invasion of northern Cyprus by the Turkish
army in 1974 suffers from diabetes and is still being held, despite the obvious risk to his health. The report
drawn up by the police force of the British bases on Cyprus states that this citizen of the Republic of
Cyprus was taken by force to the Turkish-occupied territory and points out that there is no information
whatsoever linking him to drugs trafficking, which proves that the claims made by the occupying regime
are pure fiction.

This action by the Turkish army in Cyprus follows its provocative behaviour in the Strovilia region where
it seized part of the no man(cid:146)s land which was previously under UN control and its trench-digging actives
in the no man(cid:146)s land in the village of Pyla. Turkey(cid:146)s behaviour in Cyprus has become increasingly
aggressive since it was designated a (cid:145)candidate country(cid:146)
in the Turkish
newspaper (cid:145)Sabah(cid:146) which has not been denied by the Turkish government states that Turkey is examining
a plan to incorporate the occupied territories of Cyprus as part of Turkey, and to designate it as the 82nd
Vilayet (i.e. administrative district) of the Turkish Republic.

for accession, and a report

Will the Commission say what actions it is taking to secure the immediate release of Mr Tsiakourmos and
to prevail upon Turkey to cease its hostile activities directed against the Republic of Cyprus (a country
with which the EU is conducting talks with a view to accession) and to act in a manner befitting
a European state? Will it also say what view it takes of the planned annexation by Turkey of the occupied
territory of an independent Member State of the UN?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(23 March 2001)

The Commission is aware of the circumstances concerning the detention of the Greek Cypriot building
contractor Mr Tziakourmas on 13 December 2000. It appears that Mr Tziakourmas was abducted from
the territory of the Eastern United Kingdom Sovereign Base Area. As a result, the British government has
raised this incident with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community and with the authorities in Ankara.
The Commission will continue to monitor the situation closely.

The criteria for membership agreed by the Copenhagen European Council in 1993 include the guarantee-
ing of the rule of law and of human rights. In this context Turkey(cid:146)s fulfilment of its obligations as
a consequence of membership of the Council of Europe is an important factor. The Commission monitors
respect of these commitments by all candidate countries and regularly reports to the Parliament and to the
Member States on developments in these areas.

The enhanced political dialogue between the Union and Turkey, as mentioned in the Helsinki European
Council conclusions, provides the possibility to further discuss these issues. The usual diplomatic channels
will also be used for this purpose.

(2001/C 187 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0170/01

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 February 2001)

Subject: Establishment of city twinning network

Municipalities in Greece, Cyprus, France and regions in other countries linked through the City Twinning
Programme have set up a common network of twinned cities and regions in the Mediterranean in a bid to
develop cooperation under optimal conditions. Their purpose in setting up this network is, on the one
hand, to pursue joint actions and cooperation with other local authorities at various levels in Mediterra-
nean countries, with scientific centres and institutes, with the EU institutions and international organisa-
tions and, on the other, to explore the cultural identity of the Mediterranean peoples.

3.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187 E/199

In view of the fact that the policies of the EU seek to promote decentralised cooperation between the
Member States:

1. Do the EU institutions recognise the legal basis of a network of twinned cities in the Mediterranean?

What preconditions and terms must it meet?

2. What scope exists for participation of the network in various EU programmes (City Twinning

Programme, MEDA, Euromed Heritage, etc.)?

Answer given by Ms Reding on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 2001)

The Commission recognises the existence of networks of twinned cities and particularly welcomes the fact
that they have been set up, because the objective of this type of measure, which is to bring European
citizens closer together and to promote mutual understanding between them,
is achieved far more
effectively through multilateral cooperation between local authorities.

However,
in order for the measures of these networks to be eligible for financial support from the
Commission, all the municipalities that take part must be twinned with each other and the application for
financial support must be submitted as laid down in the corresponding call for proposals.

The cities may,
in principle, take part in other Community programmes, subject to the conditions
governing each of the programmes concerned and provided that this does not lead to double funding of
the subsidised activity.

(2001/C 187 E/215)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0188/01

by Toine Manders (ELDR) to the Commission

(1 February 2001)

Subject: Young footballers and child labour

We have recently learned from the press that, calling on the services of football agents outside Europe who
may or may not be reliable, many famous European football clubs have secured long-term commitments
from large numbers of children, many of them very young, in return for unusually small payments. The
same article indicates that, among those thousands of young people, many each year come to Europe to
play football. In numerous instances they are suspected of coming with false European passports, whether
or not with the complicity of the clubs for whom they are to play (e.g. Leonardo for Feijenoord in
Rotterdam), because without such passports it would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to obtain
work permits. If these young children prove successful on the football field, they are given employment
contracts; if not, they are more or less abandoned to their fate.

I realise that national football federations have no way of doing anything about this, or are not empowered
to do so.

1.

Is the Commission aware of these practices?

Does the Commission agree that they contravene the European Convention on Human Rights and

2.
the ILO Convention?

3.
Does the Commission agree that they contravene European competition rules and the free movement
of workers, as rich clubs are evidently acting illegally or undesirably outside Europe in order to obtain
employees within the internal market who are by European standards extremely cheap, while clubs which
behave correctly are compelled to hire employees on the expensive European market?

Can the Commission do anything about these practices and if so, what? Will it take the measures

4.
available to it?