WRITTEN QUESTION P-1924/01 by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Racist organisations in applicant countries.
Date: 2001-06-22
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cyprus, Türkiye, accession criteria, accession to the European Union, political situation, racism, xenophobia

C 364 E/224

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

These figures are based on the General Government Data as reported to the Commission by Member
States(cid:146) National Statistical Institutes according to the European Standard of Integrated Economic Accounts
(ESA)79 accounting rules, and verified by the Statistical Office of the European Communites (Eurostat).
They include estimates for the Utilities based on data provided by the entities themselves in 1994 and
1998.

This figures may be revised upwards on the basis of ESA 95 accounting rules, which started being applied
practically from 1998.

The Commission has also estimated the value of public procurement advertised in the Official Journal of
the European Communities Supplement S, as a percentage of GDP for the period 1994 to 1999. The table
is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament(cid:146)s Secretariat.

The change to the European System of Accounts also affects the estimate of the amount of public
procurement published in the Official Journal as a percentage of GDP, since the calculation of GDP has
changed, although the estimate of published public procurement has not.

To maintain comparability, therefore, in the following table the figures for 1998 are given both according
to the previous accounting rules and according to ESA95.

(2001/C 364 E/245)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1924/01

by Stavros Xarchakos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Racist organisations in applicant countries

(22 June 2001)

In her answer of 7 June 2001 to my Question No E-0601/01 (1), Commissioner Diamantopoulou refers to
a number of measures which the Commission has taken or is to take in order to curb instances of racism
and xenophobia in the Member States and in those countries preparing for membership of the EU.

One of the applicant countries is Turkey, whose human rights record has little in common with the
standards applying in Europe. As I pointed out in my Question No 0601/01, however, Turkey (cid:145)exports(cid:146)
racist fanaticism outside Turkey, as evidenced by the brutal murders in 1996 of two unarmed Cypriot
citizens on the (cid:145)green line(cid:146) in Cyprus by members of the racist organisation the (cid:145)Grey Wolves(cid:146), warrants for
whose arrest have been officially issued by the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus. Despite that, the
Commissioner(cid:146)s answer is extremely (cid:145)woolly(cid:146). She avoids answering my Question whether this fascist
organisation(cid:146)s activities have been raised with Turkish officials, while adding that (cid:145)the Commission has not
raised specific incidents or the existence of specific organisations in this context(cid:146).

Does the Commissioner(cid:146)s reluctance to answer the Question mean that the (cid:145)Grey Wolves(cid:146) acts of violence
and racial hatred inside and outside Turkey have not come to the attention of the Commission? Is the
Commission aware of this organisation? What are the Commission(cid:146)s views on its racist activities and the
murders it commits, and when does it intend to raise the issue of this organisation(cid:146)s terrorist operations
with Turkish officials?

(1) OJ C 318 E, 13.11.2001, p. 83.

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2001)

The Commission denounces all forms of racism and xenophobia wherever they may occur. The Union
equally condemns terrorism in all its forms.

As regards the events to which the Honourable Member refers, the Union issued on 16 August 1996
a declaration which stated that (cid:145)The European Union strongly deplores the recent violence in Cyprus and
the disproportionate use of force by the security forces in the north of Cyprus in response to unauthorised

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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entry into the buffer zone. It condemns the brutal killings of Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou and
expresses its deep concern about
including United Nations
peacekeeping personnel. The recent events have again highlighted the urgent need to intensify efforts to
promote a comprehensive political settlement in Cyprus, under the aegis of the United Nations. The
European Union reiterates its full support
the Secretary-General and his special
representative in this regard(cid:146).

the injuries sustained by many others,

for the work of

In the 1999 Regular Report on Cyprus(cid:146)s progress towards accession (1) under the heading (cid:145)the situation in
the northern part of the island(cid:146)
it was also mentioned that (cid:145)no progress has been registered in the
investigation of the death of two Greek Cypriot demonstrators in the United Nations buffer zone in 1996(cid:146).

The Commission follows closely the efforts undertaken by all candidates with regard to the Copenhagen
political criteria, in particular in the field of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Commission will make a detailed analysis of the situation in light of the pre-accession strategy as part
of the Regular Report to be published in November 2001.

(1) COM(1999) 502 final.

(2001/C 364 E/246)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1926/01

by Joachim Wuermeling (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 June 2001)

Subject: Council Directive 93/16/EEC of 5 April 1993: incorporation into national law

Article 211 of the EC Treaty stipulates that the Commission has the task of ensuring that the Treaty is
the transposition of Directive 93/16/EEC (1)
applied. The information in the Celex system about
(to facilitate the free movement of doctors and the mutual recognition of their diplomas, certificates and
other evidence of formal qualifications) is incomplete and in some cases incorrect or out of date. Can the
Commission say what steps the Member States have taken to transpose Directive 93/16/EEC and supply
the current texts of the national laws concerned?

(1) OJ L 165, 7.7.1993, p. 1.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(3 September 2001)

First of all, the disclaimer in the CELEX database clearly indicates that the documentation provided on
national
implementing measures is not necessarily comprehensive and does not necessarily guarantee
conformity with all requirements of Community law.

Secondly, the Directive to which the Honourable Member refers (Directive 93/16/EEC) (1) is a consolidation
of four directives, which had themselves been adopted after the basic Doctors Directives 75/362/EEC and
75/363/EEC (2). No additional implementing measures were therefore required of Member States at the
time of the adoption of this Directive which did not change the substantive obligations involved. Reference
can therefore be made (cid:129) under the above conditions (cid:129) to the national implementing measures referred to
in connection with the preceding directives.

Equally Directive 93/16/EEC itself has been amended several times (3).

While, in general, the Doctors Directive has largely been implemented in all 15 Member States, specific
problems still persist. This is why the Commission is pursuing infringement procedures against Germany
(1999/2065), Austria (1998/4293, 1998/4296) and France (1998/4265) for the non respect of different
provisions of the above directives.