WRITTEN QUESTION E-0368/02 by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Kaliningrad (citizenship rights).
Date: 2002-02-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, civil rights

6.3.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 52 E/5

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 March 2002)

The importance of minority protection and the respect of minority rights are issues of the utmost
importance for the Commission. The Commission makes every effort to ensure an appropriate follow up
in these matters, particularly in sensitive areas such as South-East Europe.

in its view,

there is currently no solid justification to talk about
The Commission reiterates that,
‘persecution’ of the Greek minority in Albania. It also confirms that, in general, Albania is showing a
co-operative attitude in the field of minorities. But the Commission does not argue that Albania has
reached a fully satisfactory situation in terms of minorities and that there is no room for improvement.
Plainly there is. The Commission continues to take every opportunity to encourage Albania to take further
steps in order to ensure full compliance as rapidly as possible with the relevant international standards in
this field, in particular with the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of
National Minorities to which Albania is a member.

As regards the specific questions raised by the Honourable Member, the Commission is pleased to inform
him that, according to available data, there are around 30 elementary schools, 40 secondary schools and
two high schools teaching in Greek in Albania. Community financial assistance to Albania since 1991 has
totalled around EUR 1 billion. The Commission has monitored the use of these funds and considers that
they have been used for the purposes for which they have been granted. Monitoring of minority rights
implementation by the Commission is carried out primarily through its Delegation in Tirana, and through
regular dialogue with international bodies (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), European Union Monitoring Mission (UEMM))
and Union Embassies present in Albania, through exchanges with competent international organisations
(Council of Europe) and through direct enquiries to the Albanian authorities.

(2003/C 52 E/005)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0368/02

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 February 2002)

Subject: Kaliningrad (citizenship rights)

Bearing in mind the German law of jus sanguinis, does the Commission have any information on what
percentage of the population of the region of Kaliningrad are citizens of or entitled to citizenship of (a)
current EU Member States and (b) Poland and Lithuania?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(20 March 2002)

Although reliable statistics are not available, the Commission estimates that very few inhabitants of the
Kaliningrad region are citizens of/or might be entitled to citizenship of current Member States. The
percentage of inhabitants who are citizens of/or might be entitled to citizenship of either Poland or
Lithuania is also very small. The Kaliningrad authorities consider under 2,5 % of the population of the
region to be of Lithuanian or Polish origin. However, the Commission has no information on the
entitlement to citizenship of this part of the population, as the rules concerning citizenship lie within the
competence of the countries concerned.