WRITTEN QUESTION P-1596/01 by André Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Situation regarding the Chemical Weapons Convention.
Date: 2001-05-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Russia, chemical weapon, disarmament, financial management, international convention, joint action, non-proliferation of arms, weapons' destruction

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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4.4.2002

1.

Has the Council reacted to these manifest threats from the Turkish-Cypriots?

2. What is the Council(cid:146)s view of the UN proposals for the creation of a federal state on Cyprus, a
proposal rejected by the Turkish-Cypriot Government?

3. What steps will the Council take over the next six months in order to promote the reunification of
the divided island?

Does not the Council deem it desirable for any form of accession negotiations with Turkey to be

4.
suspended until that country ends its illegal occupation of Cyprus?

Reply

(27 November 2001)

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots can have no doubt about the EU position with regard to the Cyprus issue.
It would be inappropriate for the Council to react every time a Turkish Cypriot expresses his views on the
matter. The Council would give a general reminder of the positions adopted by the European Council on
the Cyprus issue, in particular at its meetings in Helsinki (see paragraphs 9(a) and (b) of the Presidency
conclusions) and Nice (see paragraph 56 of the Presidency conclusions). The need for a resolution of the
Cyprus problem on the basis of the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and the desirability (cid:129) also in
Turkey(cid:146)s own interest (cid:129) of accession to the EU of a united Cyprus have been made clear to them on many
other occasions.

The UN Secretary General submitted his (cid:145)oral remarks(cid:146) last November as a basis for further discussion by
the parties. The EU strongly supports the UN Secretary(cid:146)s current efforts to find an overall agreement on the
Cyprus issue but it has not commented on the substance of the (cid:145)oral remarks(cid:146).

The EU will continue to press Turkey to encourage the Turkish Cypriots to reengage with the
UN Secretary-General and to support him to bring the process initiated in December 1999 to a successful
conclusion. The political dialogue on the occasion of the most recent meeting of the EU (cid:129) Turkey
Association Council on 26 June 2001 provided another opportunity for the EU to put its views across.

Accession negotiations with Turkey can only start after Turkey has fulfilled the Copenhagen political
criteria as specified in the Accession Partnership for Turkey of 8 March 2001. On Cyprus the Accession
Partnership lists under (cid:145)Enhanced political dialogue and political criteria(cid:146) as a short-term (2001) priority for
Turkey:
(cid:145)In accordance with the Helsinki conclusions, in the context of the political dialogue, strongly
support the UN Secretary-General(cid:146)s efforts to bring to a successful conclusion the process of finding a
comprehensive settlement of
the Helsinki
conclusions.(cid:146)

the Cyprus problem, as referred to in paragraph 9(a) of

The Accession Partnership for Turkey made it clear that further steps towards satisfying the Copenhagen
criteria and in particular progress in meeting the specific priorities of this Accession Partnership in 2001
need to be taken. In this context, the G(cid:246)teborg European Council stated that the Accession Partnership is
the cornerstone of the pre-accession strategy for Turkey.

(2002/C 81 E/050)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1596/01

by AndrØ Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(21 May 2001)

Subject: Situation regarding the Chemical Weapons Convention

important and comprehensive
The Convention prohibiting chemical weapons is one of
international disarmament treaties.
Its monitoring machinery was acclaimed when it was introduced,
especially by the EU Member States(cid:146) governments. Via this Convention, for the first time, States party

the most

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subjected themselves to effective national control on an equal footing. The Technical Secretariat of the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has carried out some 1 000 international
inspections, two-thirds of them on storage and production facilities for chemical weapons and one-third
on the chemical industry.

Since then the effectiveness and independence of the inspections has been undermined as, for example,
provisions subsequently adopted oblige the inspectors to hand over photocopies of their inspection notes
to the inspected party at the end of the inspection. Secondly, the organisation has been plunged into
financial crisis as important Member States have failed to meet their financial obligations. At present, a
considerable number of the inspections required, especially on the chemical industry, are not being carried
out, on financial grounds.

Has the Council addressed the situation regarding the Chemical Weapons Convention and, if so, what
action is it considering to overcome the financial crisis facing the Organisation for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons?

What is the Council(cid:146)s view of the subsequent changes to the inspection rules, and does it consider them to
be an amendment to the Convention in breach of Article XV thereof which requires a special procedure
and ratification procedures in all States Party to the Convention?

Is the Council prepared to support an international aid programme for the destruction of chemical
weapons in Russia?

Reply

(29 November 2001)

situation in the
The Council shares the Honourable Member(cid:146)s concern at
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In the EU statement delivered by the Presidency
at the Sixth Chemical Weapons Conference of States Parties to the Criminal Weapons Convention (The
Hague, 14-18 May 2001), the EU underlined that the situation required (cid:145)resolute measures, both for
solving the acute financial difficulties and for tackling the structural budgetary problems(cid:146) and stressed the
importance of the issue for full and effective implementation of the Convention.

the difficult

financial

As to the detailed procedures for inspections, the (cid:145)Verification annex(cid:146) to the Convention stipulates in Part II
(General rules of verification), that (cid:145)The inspected State Party shall receive copies, at its request, of the
information and data gathered about its facility(ies) by the Technical Secretariat.(cid:146).

On 17 December 1999 the Council adopted a Joint Action establishing a European Union Cooperation
Programme for Non-Proliferation and Disarmament in the Russian Federation. The objective of the
programme is to support the Russian Federation in its efforts towards arms control and disarmament.
Within that framework, installation services and equipment valued at nearly € 6 million will be delivered to
projects relating to the chemical weapons destruction plant in Gorny.

(2002/C 81 E/051)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1609/01

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

(1 June 2001)

Subject: Maltese as an official EU language

Will Maltese become an official
preparations are being made for Maltese becoming an official EU language?

language of the EU if Malta joins the European Union and what