WRITTEN QUESTION E-0350/02 by Helena Torres Marques (PSE) to the Commission. Portuguese victims of violent crime in South Africa.
Date: 2002-02-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU national, EU relations, Portugal, South Africa, cooperation policy, fight against crime, public safety

C 92 E/4

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(14 June 2002)

The purpose of Europa is to provide information for all interested parties about the programmes run by
the Commission on behalf of the Union. The Commission is, however, well aware of the problems
connected with the present level of multilingualism on a number of the sites run by its departments.

The fundamental reason why the information about these programmes is not yet available in all the official
languages of the Union is the amount of resources currently available to Commission departments for the
translation of
languages and to the webmasters for the physical
management of thousands of translated files.

information into all

the official

The problem will be partly solved when the Commission introduces the use of web content management
tools capable of automating, to a large extent, the handling of thousands of new pages and links in up to
eleven language versions. The Commission will experiment with such tools at the end of 2002 and, if they
are successful, introduce them as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Commission estimates that there
are currently 150 000 pages that need to be translated in order to catch up with the present backlog. It
considers that this operation should be undertaken over a three-year period in order not to overburden
translation capacities. Similar scenarios are now being examined for the future Member States.

(2003/C 92 E/005)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0350/02

by Helena Torres Marques (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: Portuguese victims of violent crime in South Africa

(12 February 2002)

The problem of violent crime in South Africa has assumed worrying proportions in the last few years. In
2000 alone around 21 thousand people died as a result of violent incidents, and this number includes not
only South African citizens, but also many Europeans, in particular British, Greek, Dutch and Portuguese
nationals.

Unfortunately the phenomenon does not seem to be decreasing. Last year, for example, 30 Portuguese
citizens lost their lives in South Africa, and there were an average of 20 deaths in both 1999 and 2000. In
January this year alone three Portuguese citizens were murdered.

The Portuguese in South Africa in fact constitute one of the largest foreign communities in the country
(150 000 people, according to official figures, although there may be even more). It is therefore one of the
groups worst affected by the exponential growth in crime, which the South African authorities seem
incapable of tackling by themselves.

Can the Commission therefore say whether, and to what extent, it intends to support South Africa and its
authorities in combating the problems caused by violent crime and determining the root causes and, above
all, what steps it is taking or will take to ensure the safety of Europeans in that country?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(9 April 2002)

The Commission is aware of the high crime rate in South Africa and of the efforts made by the authorities
to bring crime figures down (cid:1) without substantial results so far. The Commission feels the situation is one
of very serious concern as violence is a threat to the lives of all inhabitants of the country (cid:1) including
Union citizens and among them the Portuguese community. Violence also affects the fabric of society
itself. In addition, it undermines the country’s reputation abroad, discourages foreign investment and has a
detrimental effect on the economy as a whole.

17.4.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 92 E/5

The Commission has repeatedly expressed this view to the South African authorities. It feels the South
African government is aware of the problem and seems to address it to the best of its ability, taking into
account the major challenges and numerous priorities it is confronted with. The Commission believes that
the best way to help solve the problem, is to support the South African government’s efforts.

However, the Commission believes that it is not within its competence, nor within its possibilities to take
specific steps to guarantee the safety of Europeans in South Africa.

Although the current multi-annual indicative programme does not concentrate on crime prevention as a
focal sector, the Commission has funded two programmes for support to the South African police force. It
supports capacity building in the Department of Justice and also funds trauma centres which in the past
dealt with the consequences of apartheid and its institutional violence, but increasingly also deal with the
consequences of criminal violence.

Furthermore, it is the Commission’s conviction that the root causes of violent crime in South Africa lie in
the sequels of apartheid, in the extreme destitution of an important part of the population and in the
dramatically unequal distribution of wealth in the country. The whole of its development cooperation
programme with South Africa is designed to address these problems.

(2003/C 92 E/006)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0351/02

by Mihail Papayannakis (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(6 February 2002)

Subject: Taxation of used cars in Greece

The association of Greek car importers claims that while in the year 2000 used cars imported by dealers
(not company representatives) accounted for 31 % of total car imports to Greece, in 2001 they accounted
for a mere 3 %. A survey carried out by the association among its registered members found that some
500 car dealers went out of business in Greece in 2001. All this is a result of the implementation of Law
2682/99 which, in conjunction with Ministerial Decision F 1039/642, has led to a doubling of the special
registration tax for passenger vehicles meeting the conditions set out in Directive 94/12/EC (1).

Given that:

(cid:1) rules of this kind are contrary to Article 95 of the EU Treaty, since they entail discrimination against

imports of used cars from other Member States compared to cars purchased in Greece;

(cid:1) the additional special flat rate of tax is payable in its entirety for used cars imported into Greece, as if

they were new cars;

(cid:1) imported used cars fitted with non-pollutant technology are not covered by the reduced rates of the

special consumer tax:

(cid:1) the European Court of

Justice found against Greece in its decision of 23 October 1997 (case

C-375/95);

Will the Commission say whether Greece has complied with the decision of the Court of Justice and, if
not, what further action does it intend to take in this matter?

(1) OJ L 100, 19.4.1994, p. 42.

Reply given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf or the Commission

(27 March 2002)

The Commission is aware of the fact that Greece applies a registration tax to all vehicles when they are
first registered for use in Greece. In principle, and in the present state of harmonisation of Community
law, Member States may impose such taxes.