WRITTEN QUESTION E-3284/01 by Francesco Rutelli (ELDR) to the Commission. European Day against the Death Penalty.
Date: 2001-11-27
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Parliament, death penalty, human rights, proposal (EU), public awareness campaign

C 229 E/10

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.9.2002

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(11 January 2002)

The Commission has expressed on many occasions, both to the Lao Government and in the Parliament, its
sincere pre-occupation as regards the human rights situation in Lao PDR.

Human rights issues, such as restrictions on freedom of opinion of expression, flaws in the system of
administration of justice, as well the situation of individual political prisoners, will remain high on the
agenda in bilateral meetings between the Commission and representatives of Lao People’s Democratic
Republic (PDR). On the occasion of the first Community-Lao PDR Joint Committee, which took place in
May this year, the Commission raised its concerns regarding these issues and re-iterated the suggestion by
the European Parliament Delegation, which visited Vientiane in April, that Union Ambassadors and/or the
International Committee of the Red Cross be authorised to visit political prisoners.

It has to be taken into account, however, that Laos is the poorest of the Southeast Asian countries, with a
gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of only US$ 350 and with 30 % of the population living on less
than US$ 1 per day. Consequently, the development programmes of the Commission and of Member
States focus on the most vulnerable segments of the population. Rural development, health and basic
education are the main areas of intervention, with a particular attention being given to human rights and
good governance actions.

The Commission therefore maintains a cohesive policy of constructive political dialogue with the Laotian
to the Laotian population through Community-assisted
government, paired with continued support
development programmes, which aim to support and accelerate the democratisation process in the
country.

(2002/C 229 E/008)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3284/01

by Francesco Rutelli (ELDR) to the Commission

(27 November 2001)

Subject: European Day against the Death Penalty

The European Union has long been strongly committed to combating the use of the death penalty. This is
true of the European Parliament in particular.

With a view to raising public awareness, in its resolution R5-0401/2001 of 5 July 2001 the European
Parliament proposed that a European Day against the Death Penalty be introduced as an additional means
of applying pressure for the abolition of the death penalty in those countries in which it is still legal.

Provision has also been made in the EU budget for the implementation of campaigns and measures in
support of a moratorium on executions.

Would the Commission state what action has been taken on these European Parliament initiatives?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(25 January 2002)

The Commission has taken note of the interesting proposal of the Parliament to establish a ‘European Day
against
the Death Penalty’. This proposal has also been taken up by renowned non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) such as the organisation: ‘Together against the Death Penalty’. The competence to
decide whether such a day should be established, however, lies with the Member States.

As concerns measures in support of a moratorium on executions, a number of projects have been financed
under the budget line B7-7, the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Below are
a few examples of such projects.

26.9.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 229 E/11

A joint programme with the Council of Europe to foster public awareness is under implementation since
1999 (Community-contribution € 334 850). This project, that covers Russia, Turkey and Albania, notably
provides training for legal professionals and parliamentarians about the impact on the abolition of the
death penalty on crime prevention.

A second project covers capital punishment activities to inform and support strategies to establish
alternatives to the death penalty. This project is implemented in cooperation with the University of
Westminster (Community contribution € 675 859).

An additional project provides assistance for prisoners under Sentence of Death in the Caribbean and is
implemented in cooperation with Penal Reform International (Community contribution € 596 456).

For the future, activities in support of the abolition of the death penalty are among the four thematic
priorities that have been identified in the Commission’s EIDHR Programming for 2002-2004.

(2002/C 229 E/009)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3306/01

by Jonas Sjöstedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 November 2001)

Subject: Swedish law on the marking of dogs for identification

At the beginning of 2001, a new law on the marking of dogs for identification entered into force in
Sweden. The question is, however, whether the provisions requiring ID-marking and registration are valid.
The law gives Swedish police the right to take custody of unmarked dogs if they constitute or it is feared
that they may constitute a danger to others. In October 2001, more than 58 000 dog owners took their
dogs to veterinary surgeons to have them marked with identification.

However, national technical regulations prescribing methods of marking and registration must be notified
to the Commission for its approval, pending which the regulations may not be applied. As the Swedish
authorities and the government could not agree whether the dog marking regulations required EU
approval or not, they were not notified to the Commission until early January 2001. As the Commission is
working on another proposal relating to the marking of animals, the ‘freeze’ on the Swedish regulations
was extended to at least twelve months. That being the case, the Swedish Board of Trade considers that the
regulations have no legal force. The Swedish Government, however, considers that the law on the marking
of dogs should be fully applied immediately and that the entire debate is based on a misunderstanding by
the Commission.

Does the Commission consider that the Swedish law on the marking of dogs has legal force at the present
time, and that the Swedish courts should apply it?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(2 April 2002)

The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that the Swedish Government gave notification of
a draft general administrative order on the marking and registration of dogs (notification 2001/5/S) and
the rules for its implementation (notification 2001/9/S) on 11 January 2001 and 12 January 2001
respectively.

Given that the Commission has submitted to Parliament and the Council a proposal for a regulation on the
animal-health requirements applicable to non-commercial movement of pet animals (1), these Swedish
drafts are blocked as provided for in Article 9(4) of Directive 98/34/EC of the European Parliament and of
the Council of 22 June 1998 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of
technical standards and regulations (2).

This blocking procedure is intended to ensure that the adoption of notified draft legislation does not
adversely affect the legislative process of harmonisation at Community level.