WRITTEN QUESTION P-2592/01 by Mario Borghezio (TDI) to the Commission. European checks on irregular visas and residence permits issued by Italy.
Date: 2001-09-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, admission of aliens, fraud, illegal migration, migration control, residence permit, terrorism

C 115 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

16.5.2002

This case raises the following questions:

(cid:19) Has Directive 85/337/EEC (1) on environmental impact assessment been duly observed?

(cid:19) Have the proper authorities been acting in accordance with Community nature conservation

commitments and especially with the Water Framework Directive?

(cid:19) Has Directive 92/43/EC (2), which classes the nature reserve as a priority habitat, been implemented

correctly?

What steps can the Commission take to ensure, in the case referred to in this question, that Community
law is enforced and Community funds are used to promote conservation of Los Tilos?

(1) OJ L 175, 5.7.1985, p. 40.
(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, p. 7.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(6 November 2001)

The site ‘Los Tilos de Moya, ES7010005’, of an area of 83 hectares has been formally proposed by Spain
as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) for the Natura 2000 Network, according to Council Directive
92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (hereafter
the Habitats Directive).

The site hosts representations of the following habitats of Community interest: Fields of lava and natural
excavations (8320); Macaronesian laurel forest (9363) and Endemic macaronesian heaths.

Member States are advised to ensure that sites on their national list of proposed SCIs are not allowed to
deteriorate before the Community list of SCIs is adopted.

Article 6,3 of the Habitats Directive states that:
‘Any plan or project not directly connected with or
necessary to the management of the site but likely to have a significant effect thereon, either individually
or in combination with other plans or project, shall be subject
its
implications for the site in view of the site’s conservation objectives’.

to appropriate assessment of

The Commission has no information related to this project, that is why a letter will be sent to the Spanish
Government requesting further information in relation to the project of canalisation within the site
ES7010005.

(2002/C 115 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2592/01

by Mario Borghezio (TDI) to the Commission

(18 September 2001)

Subject: European checks on irregular visas and residence permits issued by Italy

In Italy, investigations are currently underway, instigated by various legal bodies, which have uncovered
extensive trafficking in visas and residence permits irregularly issued by Italian diplomatic and consular
offices in several countries.
In view of the fact that the investigations have found evidence of the
involvement not only of Italian and foreign Mafia racketeers in the trafficking, but also of some Islamic
terrorist networks: what urgent concrete steps are planned, at the European level, to put in place an
effective system of checks to prevent immigrants who have entered the Schengen area on the basis of
irregular documents from moving around the EU and remaining here?

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/131

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(17 October 2001)

The existing provisions and procedures in the field of border controls allow the authorities to refuse entry
to persons in possession of forged or falsified documents (passports, visa stickers, etc.).

Documents which are apparently in order but have been obtained in an irregular or fraudulent manner
will be detected by border checks only if the Member State in which they originated is aware that they
have been issued and has informed its partner States (circulation of serial numbers, issuing department,
period covered, etc).

The Honourable Member’s concerns, shared by the Commission, were recently echoed by the Council
(Justice and Home Affairs) on 20 September 2001, which declared its support for a variety of measures to
step up the fight against terrorism within the European Union. In particular, the Council called on the
Member States to exercise the utmost vigilance when issuing identity documents, visas and residence
permits. The Commission is planning to present in the near future a communication on preventing and
immigration which, among other things, will deal with the issues raised by the
combating illegal
Honourable Member.

(2002/C 115 E/134)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2596/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 September 2001)

Subject: Conduct of a transfrontier supermarket chain in breach of the rules on competition (cid:19) collective

wage agreements and general standards of propriety

Can the Commission confirm that the ALDI supermarket chain, which has its headquarters in
1.
Germany and branches in various Member States and was created by Theo and Karl Albrecht, two wealthy
Europeans worth an estimated EUR 28 billion, seeks to keep its costs down not only by offering its wares
to the customer in boxes piled high on pallets, with no bar-code readers to show the prices at the tills, but,
above all, by requiring from its staff a high workrate, a high rate of absence through illness and, because of
staff shortages, closing of shops on a few afternoons per week?

2.
Can it also confirm that this transfrontier company asks its staff to sign contracts which require them
to work 21,5 hours of voluntary overtime per month, dismisses any staff members who complain, refuses
to meet the press, suddenly transfers staff members to branches dozens of kilometres from home, harasses
in their homes staff members who are ill and imposes a 48-hour working week, requiring staff to work
during the shorter working hours to which they are entitled?

Does the Commission deem it acceptable for an international company operating within the
3.
European Union in the manner described above in Questions 1 and 2 to infringe Union law, collective
wage agreements, agreements as to transparency and general standards of propriety?

Is this state of affairs helped by the fact that the company directors are frequently resident in a
4.
Member State other than the one in which their establishments are located, with the result that those
directors may hide away and not be accessible to anybody?

5. What is the Commission doing to counteract the misuse of internal frontiers and the undermining of
the customary relationship between employers and employees in the European Union and to nullify the
competitive advantages vis-à-vis other undertakings (cid:19) operating properly in accordance with the law and
with collective wage agreements (cid:19) arising from such misuse?

Source: De Volkskrant (a Dutch newspaper), issue published on 3 September 2001