WRITTEN QUESTION E-0507/01 by Stephen Hughes (PSE) to the Commission. Car park of the Commission.
Date: 2001-02-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Commission, occupational safety, parking area, terrorism, the EU's international role, vehicle registration

C 261 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

18.9.2001

(2001/C 261 E/139)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0506/01

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(22 February 2001)

Subject: Accession negotiations with Turkey

The bodies of more than 2 000 Greek Cypriots, said to have been killed by the Turkish armed forces
shortly after their invasion of Cyprus in 1974, are believed to lie in unmarked graves in the so-called
(cid:145)Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus(cid:146); the bodies of some hundreds of Turkish Cypriots killed at the same
time are also said to lie to the south of the Green Line.

The (cid:145)TRNC(cid:146) authorities have to date refused requests that the graves be opened so that the bodies of these
missing Cypriots can be identified, despite the fact that the Cypriot Government has offered to do the
same, and that such action would assist conciliation between the two communities.

Has the Commission asked for assistance from the Government of Turkey in bringing pressure to bear on
the (cid:145)TRNC(cid:146) authorities to identify the missing persons killed by the Turkish armed forces in Cyprus, which
is also an applicant for EU membership, and, if not, will it do so?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2001)

The Honourable Member makes reference to the question of missing persons in Cyprus following the
events of 1974. The Commission understands that 1 493 cases were submitted by the Greek Cypriot side
to the United Nations Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) set up in 1981 to investigate and determine
the fate of missing persons (seven have since been confirmed as dead). 500 cases were submitted by the
Turkish Cypriot side (which cover the period since 1963). In 1997 the two sides agreed to provide all the
information available to them to help resolve the issue but there have been no further developments in
this process since 1998.

This matter can be further addressed in the framework of the Union(cid:146)s enhanced political dialogue with
Turkey.

(2001/C 261 E/140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0507/01

by Stephen Hughes (PSE) to the Commission

(22 February 2001)

Subject: Car park of the Commission

Is the car with the registration number EUR 0364 in the service of the Commission?

Who usually has the use of the car?

Who had the use of the car at the end of January?

Why was it in the compound with the families and lawyers of the Libyans accused of the Lockerbie
bombing at their trial in Holland?

18.9.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 261 E/131

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(23 April 2001)

Until 21 February 2001 the registration number EUR 364 was attributed to the Transport service of the
Commission.

At the end of January 2001 the car was in use as a service car to the Commission Representation Office in
The Hague.

The Head of the Commission(cid:146)s Representation in The Hague was officially nominated as observer for the
Commission at the so-called (cid:145)Lockerbie trial(cid:146) which took place in Zeist (Netherlands). The car was parked
in the common parking places close to the entrance to the court building. That car park was used by all
observers of the trial and also by the families and lawyers of the Libyans accused.

The registration number is at present not in use. Pictures of the car, clearly identifying its registration
number, appeared in Dutch newspaper and TV media coverage. It is standard procedure that for security
reasons the registration number is taken out of use in such cases.

(2001/C 261 E/141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0508/01

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE), Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE),
Den Dover (PPE-DE), Jacqueline Foster (PPE-DE), Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE),
Roger Helmer (PPE-DE), Bashir Khanbhai (PPE-DE), Neil Parish (PPE-DE),
Robert Sturdy (PPE-DE) and Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Council

(23 February 2001)

Subject: The role of the Economic and Social Committee and the prioritising of expenditures within the

European Union

Can the Council state what role it sees the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) as having now that
the European Parliament is directly elected, and whether it believes that the continued expenditure of
hundreds of millions of euros of taxpayers(cid:146) money on the Committee is justified and likely to command
the support of the European taxpayer if knowledge of these levels of expenditure was better publicised?

In particular, in view of Commission President Prodi(cid:146)s statement last year to the effect that the European
Commission needed more funds to carry out its core tasks and the Commission(cid:146)s refusal at the end of last
year to take on certain new tasks until it had received additional funds, does the Council feel that if the
Commission cannot
funds through elimination of wasteful expenditure within the
Commission itself that the Member States should agree to wind down the Economic and Social Committee
and use part of the savings (including, where appropriate, the transfer of staff from ECOSOC) to pay for
the additional tasks which the Commission may in the future be asked to carry out?

find additional

Reply

(30 May 2001)

It is not for the Council of the European Union to give an opinion on the role of a Community body
provided for by the Treaty. However, the attention of the Honourable Members is drawn to the relevant
provisions of the Treaty (Articles 257 to 262) defining the role and function of the Economic and Social
Committee. These provisions were basically confirmed by the Treaty signed in Nice on 16 February 2001,
which extends the composition of the Committee by referring to organised civil society and by specifically
mentioning consumers. This Treaty is currently subject to ratification by the Member States.

With respect to the second part of the question, the Honourable Members are invited to consult the
European Commission.