WRITTEN QUESTION P-0674/02 by André Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Compliance with the EU's financial commitments to Yugoslavia.
Date: 2002-03-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, EU relations, Yugoslavia, aid policy, financial aid, press release, terms for aid

C 309 E/36

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2002)

The Commission is aware of the conditions in Turkish prisons to which the Honourable Member refers,
and shares it’s concern regarding the prisoners on hunger strike. The number of prisoners who have died
on hunger strike has now reached 48. The Commission considers that, from a humanitarian point of view,
this situation is unacceptable, regardless of the motives of those involved in organising the hunger strikes.

The Commission is following the matter of the reform of the prison system very closely, and has taken
note that the compromise formula of ‘Three Doors, Three Locks’ has been rejected by the Minister for
Justice on the grounds that it contravenes Article 16 of the anti-terror law.

There have been attempts by the Ministry of Justice to find an alternative, and it has been proposed in a
circular issued on 10 January 2002 that prisons could allow groups of up to 10 prisoners to meet socially
for five hours each week. However, this has not been implemented as the Ministry insists that the measure
can only be introduced once the hunger strikes have ended.

The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member that the situation in Turkish prisons does not
contribute positively to the country’s preparations for Union membership. The Member of the Commission
in charge of Enlargement raised the issue of prison reforms during his visit to Ankara on 14/15 February
2002. The Commission hopes that improvements will be made, and that Turkey will, as stipulated in the
medium term priorities of the Accession Partnership, ‘adjust detention conditions in prisons to bring them
into accordance with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the treatment of prisoners and other
international norms.’

(2002/C 309 E/042)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0674/02

by André Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 March 2002)

Subject: Compliance with the EU’s financial commitments to Yugoslavia

In an interview with the German news magazine Der Spiegel
Yugoslavia, Mr Zoran Djindjic, has made the following assertions:

(issue 9/2002), the Prime Minister of

(cid:1) in 2001, the European Union first deducted two thirds from the EUR 300 million pledged to
Yugoslavia in order to redeem debts from the Milosevic era, and shortly afterwards, according to an
interview given to Der Spiegel at the time, granted the country EUR 45 million; in 2002-2004 the EU
intends to deduct these EUR 45 million again in three instalments;

(cid:1) of the $ 1,3 billion pledged to Yugoslavia in emergency aid in 2001, barely $ 500 million had so far

been disbursed.

Can the Commission confirm these statements?

If they cannot be confirmed, what specific facts can the Commission adduce?

Is the Commission aware of the enormous importance of abiding by financial pledges in order to preserve
stability in Yugoslavia and make it possible for the government to continue to pursue its policy of reform?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(11 April 2002)

The Commission disputes the accuracy of the statements made by Mr Djindjic. The Commission also notes
that other parts of the same interview, on different issues, have been the subject of criticism by relevant
international organisations.

12.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/37

The Commission has continuously supported the structural reform efforts in the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (FRY) since their inception in 2000. This is done through our extremely rapid and efficient
implementation of the large amounts of Community assistance to the FRY over EUR 1,3 billion since
October 2000, most of which has already been disbursed.

Further reform-oriented political and economic support and advice are given by the Commission under the
Stabilisation and Association process. The Commission is therefore at
laying the
groundwork for sustainable reforms, both in economic and political terms. Mr Djindjic and his colleagues
in Belgrade are well aware of this.

the forefront of

In his statements Mr Djindjic has brought up different issues:

(cid:1) The first is the Community macrofinancial assistance to the FRY. An amount of EUR 300 million was
decided in July 2001 by the Council. Following the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding
between the FRY authorities and the Commission in September 2001 and the upfront clearance of all
outstanding arrears of the FRY towards the European Investment Bank (EIB), the first tranche of
EUR 260 million was released in October 2001, followed by a second tranche of EUR 40 million in
January 2002. In light of commendable progress in economic stabilisation and reform and important
financing needs in the FRY,
the Council decided in December 2001, after consultation of the
Parliament,
to increase the amount of Community macro-financial assistance by a further
EUR 45 million in grants (for which no reimbursement by the FRY is foreseen), bringing the total to
EUR 345 million.

(cid:1) It should be noted that this Community macro-financial assistance has been provided in the context of
financing
an International Monetary Fund (IMF)
including the need to repay the outstanding arrears to the Community and the EIB
requirements,
that amounted to some EUR 232 million and stemmed from old EIB loans extended between 1977
and 1989. With the clearance of these arrears, the FRY, as other Western Balkan countries before, has
become eligible not only for Community, but also for EIB lending. It should also be noted in this
respect, that an overall indicative amount of EUR 450 million in EIB lending to the FRY is envisaged
over the next three years.

stand-by programme to meet

the external

(cid:1) The second issue which Mr Djindjic has raised is the general Community assistance for the FRY, under
the CARDS programme for the Western Balkans. The budget proposal made by the Commission for
2002 for the Western Balkans states was reduced by the Budgetary Authorities by EUR 63 million.
The budget for the Western Balkans must remain within an overall indicative amount set for 2000-
2006. Within this, the amounts available are allocated, annually and on an indicative basis, between
the five countries in the region. If funds are advanced to any country, as in the case of the additional
macro-financial grant of EUR 45 million to the FRY late in 2001, they have to be deducted from that
country’s allocation in subsequent years.

Normally, it is possible to spread this deduction over several years, but this time the Budgetary Authority
in 2002. The Commission nonetheless found a way of
decided that this amount had to be ‘repaid’
softening the impact of this budgetary decision in such a way as to ensure that as many programmes and
projects as possible can be launched in all priority areas. The Commission has thus found a way to
respond both to the urgent budgetary needs as well as the longer-term needs for investment and
institution-building, as promised.

At the Donors’ Conference which took place in Brussels in June 2001, the Community pledge (as part of
the EUR 1,58 billion-$ 1,36 billion) for the FRY (excluding Kosovo) was for EUR 230 million in assistance
programmes in Serbia, Montenegro and projects at federal level. By 31 December 2001 this whole amount
had been committed and more than EUR 155 million (65 %) already contracted. The macrofinancial
assistance mentioned above is additional to this amount.

Finally it should be noted that the Commission has continuously provided humanitarian assistance to FRY
since the early 1990s. Even in 2001,
in parallel to macrofinancial and development assistance, over
EUR 69 million in Community humanitarian assistance was provided to FRY (cid:1) of which EUR 47,8 million
for Serbia, EUR 7,5 million for Montenegro and EUR 13,9 million for Kosovo (cid:1) mainly addressing the
needs of the most vulnerable segments of the population (refugees,
internally displaced persons and
extremely vulnerable individuals).

C 309 E/38

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

The FRY remains the main beneficiary of all Community assistance in the Western Balkans reflecting, inter
alia,
its impressive results in economic stabilisation and reform since end-2000. The Commission is
committed to support this reform process and, in the process, stability in the FRY and the wider region.

(2002/C 309 E/043)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0703/02

by Philip Bushill-Matthews (PPE-DE), Jonathan Evans (PPE-DE),
Robert Goodwill (PPE-DE), Roger Helmer (PPE-DE), Neil Parish (PPE-DE)
and Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(13 March 2002)

Subject: The utility of the Commission’s impact assessments, with particular reference to the Physical

Agents (Vibrations) Directive

In answer to Written Question E-3212/01 (1) on the Business Impact Assessment for the Physical Agents
(Vibrations) Directive, the Commission replied as follows:

When submitting its Proposal for a Council Directive on the minimum health and safety requirements
regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (2) the Commission drew
up an impact assessment, based on a specific impact study for each physical agent included in the
Proposal, on the activities of small and medium-sized enterprises, and this included the estimated costs
which would arise from implementing the Directive …

The impact assessment referred to in that answer is found on pages 70-74 of COM(92) 560 final (cid:1)
SYN 449. The only estimate given of the financial costs of the Directive to companies (without knowing
how many workers would exercise their right to equipment and training) is that of half a man-day per year
found on page 72. No attempt is made to indicate how this figure has been arrived at, nor is there any
indication of how many workers would be affected in each Member State or the total cost to each Member
State (whatever the distribution of total cost between firms and the public authorities) or the EU as a
whole.

The Impact Assessment was prepared by the Tripartite Advisory Commission on Safety, Hygiene and
Health Protection at Work, the Safety and Health Commission for Mining and other Extractive Industries,
specialist independent and national experts (who may or may not have had accounting and business skills)
and a group of specialists regarding the socio-economic impact of the proposal.

The Directive is now going through Conciliation. There are claims that this Directive may cost billions of
euros in each of the larger states alone. The Council have repeatedly called for proper Business Impact
Assessments to be carried-out when a Directive will have a noticeable financial cost to business. Does the
Commission believe that its Impact Assessment on the Physical Agents (Vibrations) Directive is remotely
adequate or consistent with the Lisbon declarations, and, if not, will it urgently undertake a new and
comprehensive Impact Assessment study? Will it also ensure that in future all Impact Assessments on the
financial costs to business are assessed by independent business experts and contain detailed estimates of
the costs of a Directive to each Member State and to the individual economic sectors most affected?

(1) OJ C 147 E, 20.6.2002, p. 132.
(2) OJ C 77, 18.3.1993.

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(23 April 2002)

As explained in the answer to Written Question E-3212/01 by Mr Bowis and others (1), the Impact
Assessment for the Proposal for a Council Directive on the minimum health and safety requirements
regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents was based on an impact study