WRITTEN QUESTION E-2293/01 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Combating instability in Eastern Europe by protection and the early development of alternatives to rapid accession to the EU.
Date: 2001-07-31
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, accession negotiations, accession to the European Union, cooperation agreement (EU), democracy, enlargement of the Union, political situation, political unrest, transitional period (EU)

C 134 E/22

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2002

The Commission’s external aid management system is designed to ensure effective management of projects
and to contribute to sustainable development of beneficiary countries.

The general procedures that apply to Community financial projects in South America consist of the
following elements:

(cid:31) The priority areas for co-operation and the project ideas are determined jointly by the Commission

and the recipient country.

(cid:31) On the basis of the above, the Commission sets up an identification mission with the task of

formulating the project proposal.

(cid:31) The project proposal and later the Financing Proposal, are approved by the Commission, the Member
States and the recipient country. The Financing Proposal is the basis for the Financing Agreement,
which is signed by the Commission and the Government and constitutes the legal framework of each
project.

(cid:31) The Commission then carries out a tender to contract Technical Assistance for each project. The
Technical Assistance generally comprises a European Co-Director and a Project Administrator, as well
as the experts that may be required by each specific project.

(cid:31) For its part the Government of the partner country designates a National Co-Director. The European
and the National Co-Directors head the Project Management Unit, which is responsible for day-to-day
project management.

(cid:31) Among the main responsibilities of the Project Management Unit are the preparation of work plans
and technical and financial reports, as well as carrying out project monitoring, and annual financial
audits. The Commission transfers funds to the project only upon compliance with the above-
mentioned procedures.

In this context, AMAR’s Project Management Unit began its operations in early 1999, and has carried out
two annual audits for the fiscal periods of 1999 and 2000. Both audits have concluded that the project
expenditures are eligible and have been made in accordance with the project’s Financing Agreement. No
irregularities were detected.

(2002/C 134 E/022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2293/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(31 July 2001)

Subject: Combating instability in Eastern Europe by protection and the early development of alternatives to

rapid accession to the EU

1.
Does the Commission consider it possible that serious political instability will arise in the applicant
countries in the next few years as a result an electoral backlash in which government and opposition
parties which, despite their very divergent political views,
jointly supported accession to the EU are
punished and swept from power by voters disappointed by their experiences and expectations?

2.
How does the Commission assess the possibility that if voters blame the parties now in government
and the main opposition parties it may result in the rise to power of nationalist forces on a platform of
identity and protection of the national
preservation of national
economy?

independence, affirmation of national

How does the Commission intend to help dispel dissatisfaction and prevent the emergence of

3.
instability of this kind?

4.
Has the Commission already considered alternatives to the early accession to the EU of the countries
concerned, for instance a transitional period involving far-reaching cooperation agreements with the
Visegrad countries and the Baltic States, modelled on the earlier agreements with the European Free Trade
Association?

5.
Does the Commission consider that a possible and acceptable solution would be for these States to
be entitled, on the basis of a cooperation agreement, to financial contributions from the EU Cohesion Fund
but at the same time be afforded protection against the selling off of land and firms to inhabitants of
countries with stronger economies and against imports from such countries, in order to ensure the socio-
economic security of their population?

6.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134 E/23

How quickly could alternatives such as those described in paragraphs 4 and 5 above be submitted to
6.
the European Parliament and the parliaments of the applicant countries in the event of the accession of
new member countries failing?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(17 October 2001)

1., 2. and 3.
The Commission would remind the Honourable Member (cid:31) as stated in its ‘Strategy Paper
2000’ presented to Parliament and the Council in November 2000 along with the Regular Reports on the
candidate countries’ progress towards accession (cid:31) that it considers that ‘stable democracies have emerged
in Central and Eastern Europe and systemically they are already so robust that there need be no risk of a
relapse into authoritarianism’. Political stability in the candidate countries is rooted in common European
values, to wit democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and protection of minorities, values
that are reflected in the accession criteria laid down by the Copenhagen European Council of 21 and
22 June 1993 and subsequently written into the Treaty of Amsterdam.

The political stability is attributable to the candidate countries’ citizens and is buoyed up by the
enlargement process, which in itself constitutes the best way of securing that stability in the future.

The fact that there are in the candidate countries nationalist forces pursuing the objectives described by the
Honourable Member is merely democracy at work. The Commission would point out that an enlargement
process in tune with the basic principles of European integration in no way threatens the national identity
of the new members.

The Commission feels that everything must be done to ensure that the citizens of the Member States and
the candidate countries are properly informed on the scope and consequences of enlargement. With that in
mind it has adopted a communication strategy that it is busy implementing.

4., 5. and 6.
The Commission believes the enlargement process should continue to be implemented in
the existing framework, namely the pre-accession strategy and the accession negotiations. Alternative
solutions are not envisaged. The Community and the Member States have already concluded wide-ranging
association agreements with the candidate countries and issues relating to the Cohesion Fund and the sale
of land fall within the scope of the negotiations.

(2002/C 134 E/023)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2305/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(31 July 2001)

Subject: Ending of police violence,
accession to the EU

intimidation and ethnic hatred in the applicant countries before

1.

Can the Commission confirm the Amnesty International report of 11 July 2001 that:

(a) on 5 July 2001 at Magnezitovce in the Slovak Republic, Karol Sendrei of the Romani community and
his two sons Robert and Peter were arrested following a complaint by one of the sons about
ill-treatment suffered at the hands of the son of the mayor and that the three detainees were beaten, as
was Karol Sendrei’s wife;

(b)

the three detainees were then examined by a doctor at the hospital in Revùca, who found that they
had not suffered any serious damage to their health, after which they were taken to the police station
where they were tied to a radiator and beaten again;