WRITTEN QUESTION E-0513/01 by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Council. Declaration of state of emergency and serious situation in Ecuador.
Date: 2001-02-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Ecuador, democratisation, economic situation, human rights, rule of law, state of emergency, the EU's international role

C 340 E/42

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

Moreover, it is frequently emphasised in the enlargement process, at the level of the Europe Agreement
bodies that are developing and monitoring the pre-accession strategy, that what is sought is a multi-modal
approach to developing the transport network. In this context, issues relating to navigation on the Danube
are also broached, with regard to both managing the river in the candidate countries and to restoring
navigation on the river after the Kosovo war.

In this connection the Council has supported the activities of the International Commission for the
Protection of the Danube River with a view to rendering the river navigable again; in July 2000 the Council
approved the Community contribution to the International Fund for Clearance of the Fairway of the
Danube, representing 85 % of the estimated total cost of the project.

(2001/C 340 E/047)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0513/01

by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Council

(23 February 2001)

Subject: Declaration of state of emergency and serious situation in Ecuador

The economic austerity policy pursued by the Ecuadorian Government in an attempt to resolve the grave
economic crisis that has been affecting the country for more than three years has been accompanied by
serious social unrest. In addition to the emigration of a large section of the working population prompted
by poverty, there has also been increasing mobilisation and protest on the part of the section of the
population most severely affected by the crisis, mainly the Indian population.

Apart from a crackdown by the forces of order, the Ecuadorian authorities have responded to this social
unrest by declaring a state of emergency.

Given the ethnic character of the protest, which has so far remained essentially peaceful, is the Council not
afraid that the current economic crisis might jeopardise the plurinational and democratic State enshrined
in the country(cid:146)s new constitution?

Has the Council expressed its opposition to the state of emergency that has been declared, or does it
intend to do so?

Will the Council call on the Ecuadorian Government to guarantee the civil and political freedoms of the
the situation from
population during the protests, provided they are peaceful,
deteriorating?

in order to prevent

Given the conditions of real poverty faced by around 70 % of the population at a time of political
instability, does the Council not think that the international community should tackle the problem of
Ecuador(cid:146)s external debt and the need to rebuild its economy in the context of the Paris Club and on the
basis of criteria that seek to avoid an aid-based approach and focus on large-scale national and
international investment?

What other initiatives will the Council take to help Ecuador overcome this difficult situation?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

The Council is aware of the difficult economic situation experienced by Ecuador and the hardship endured
(cid:145)dollarisation(cid:146) and economic
the population in the current context of
by the poorest sections of
adjustments undertaken by the Government at the behest of the IMF.

In January and February the Council monitored very closely the events to which the Honourable Member
refers in his question. The Council believes that there can be no solution to these problems outside the
framework of a democratic system.

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/43

The Council has expressed its willingness to contribute to the efforts made by Ecuador and all the Andean
countries to strengthen democracy, human rights and the rule of law. These are the pillars on which
economic co-operation and political dialogue between the EU and those countries are based. The same
message was conveyed to Ecuador and the other Andean countries at the recent ministerial meeting
between the EU and the Andean Community, in Santiago de Chile on 28 March 2001.

(2001/C 340 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0524/01

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(23 February 2001)

Subject: Discussion of EU staff(cid:146)s financial conditions

The Swedish Government has made attempts in the past to initiate discussion of EU staff(cid:146)s financial
conditions. On 22 September 1997, the Swedish Prime Minister, G(cid:246)ran Persson, met the then Commission
President Santer. Persson criticised the high salaries of staff but his views were not given a sympathetic
hearing. After the meeting he said that they would (cid:145)probe a little deeper(cid:146) into the matter. Nothing appears
to have happened since.

However, Sweden now holds the Presidency of the Council and G(cid:246)ran Persson is still Prime Minister. What
steps is the current Presidency taking to hold talks about EU staff(cid:146)s financial conditions and bringing their
salaries into line with current salary levels in the Member States?

Reply

(10 July 2001)

The Council would remind the Honourable Member that in accordance with Article 283 of the Treaty
establishing the European Community, the Staff Regulations of officials of the European Communities and
the Conditions of Employment of other servants of those Communities are laid down by the Council,
acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the Commission and after consulting the other
institutions concerned. The emoluments and social security benefits of officials are set out under Title V of
the Staff Regulations.

The Council will ensure that this issue is studied further, in particular in the light of the Orientation Papers
on Pay and Pensions presented by Mr Kinnock, on 28 February 2001, which have been adopted by the
Commission. This document is currently under discussion with the trade union organisations in a high-
level group. The Council is ready to examine the formal proposals from the Commission as soon as it
presents them.

(2001/C 340 E/049)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0533/01

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(23 February 2001)

Subject: Italy(cid:146)s investigation into Balkan syndrome

Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, has requested the Ghent toxicologist Aubin
Heyndrickx to carry out a study of Balkan veterans who are ill or who have died.
In the past
Mr Heyndrickx has acted on a number of occasions as an expert in chemical warfare. However, fellow
scientists accuse him of using (cid:145)less than scientific(cid:146) research methods. In 1995 Heyndrickx was given a one-
year suspended jail sentence for forgery. Four years later he was in the news again because a court in
South Africa suspected him of having close links with Dr Wouter Basson, better known as (cid:145)Dr Death(cid:146).
Basson was working on a vaccine for eradicating the black race.

1. When did the Commission decide to request the Ghent toxicologist Aubin Heyndrickx to carry out
an Italian study of Balkan veterans who are ill or who have died?