WRITTEN QUESTION P-0779/02 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Italian Government statements falling outside the democratic framework of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Date: 2002-03-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, Italy, anti-European movement, minister, public statement

C 229 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

26.9.2002

Mr Silvio Berlusconi, who is not only President of the Italian Council but also Italy’s temporary Foreign
Minister, attended the Lega Nord congress, where Mr Bossi repeated his accusations and invective aimed at
the entire European Community. Not only did Mr Berlusconi not react to those accusations; he implicitly
endorsed them through his silence and his smiling acquiescence.

Such behaviour on the part of leading representatives of the Italian Government may cast doubt on Italy’s
genuine desire to ‘cooperate fairly’ in European integration.

In particular, such statements indicate that Italy might not ‘facilitate the achievement of the Community’s
tasks’ and might encourage ( actively or passively ( measures which could jeopardise the attainment of
the EC Treaty’s objectives (Article 10 of that Treaty).

What action is the Council intending to take in order to clarify this state of affairs?

(2002/C 229 E/147)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0757/02

by Giuseppe Di Lello Finuoli (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(19 March 2002)

Subject: Statements by Mr Bossi

The Italian minister responsible for institutional reform, Mr Umberto Bossi, has recently described the
European Union as ‘Stalinist’ and as a kind of ‘Forcolandia’ (a colourful, pejorative term which suggests that
the EU promotes acts which undermine the fundamental freedoms of the individual). Other government
representatives share or at least endorse his deplorable views.

Mr Silvio Berlusconi, who is not only President of the Italian Council but also Italy’s temporary Foreign
Minister, attended the Lega Nord congress, where Mr Bossi repeated his accusations and invective aimed at
the entire European Community. Not only did Mr Berlusconi not react to those accusations; he implicitly
endorsed them through his silence and his smiling acquiescence.

Such behaviour on the part of leading representatives of the Italian Government may cast doubt on Italy’s
genuine desire to ‘cooperate fairly’ in European integration.

In particular, such statements indicate that Italy might not ‘facilitate the achievement of the Community’s
tasks’ and might encourage ( actively or passively ( measures which could jeopardise the attainment of
the EC Treaty’s objectives (Article 10 of that Treaty).

What action is the Council intending to take in order to clarify this state of affairs?

(2002/C 229 E/148)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0779/02

by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(19 March 2002)

Subject: Italian Government statements falling outside the democratic framework of

the Charter of

Fundamental Rights

At the recent congress of the Lega Nord, a party which holds three important ministries in the Italian
Government headed by Mr Berlusconi, the party secretary, Umberto Bossi, Minister for Institutional
Reforms, expressed a number of political views of an extremely serious nature, opposing the democratic
principles established by the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

This is not just a case of a legitimate anti-European point of view which we do not endorse. The
statements made by ministers of the Berlusconi Government at the Lega Nord congress, which Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi approves since he did not dispute them at the congress, are in blatant violation
of the principles on which the European Union is founded, as set out in Article 6 of the TEU.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Does the Council not agree, for instance, that Bossi’s remark that ‘the alliance of masons, fascists, Nazis
and Communists was responsible for the European Charter of Rights’ constitutes a rejection of the very
principles established by the Charter and not merely a rather blunt and violent criticism of the Charter
itself?

Would it agree that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s failure to criticise the above statements, while being
present at the Lega congress, means that the entire Italian Government may be considered to endorse these
coarse and undignified anti-democratic views?

Would the Council not therefore consider it essential to initiate the procedure under Article 7 of the TEU
against Italy?

Joint answer
to Written Questions P-0748/02, P-0756/02, P-0757/02 and P-0779/02

(26 June 2002)

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that it is not in the habit of commenting on
statements made by political figures.

(2002/C 229 E/149)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0750/02

by Charles Tannock (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 March 2002)

Subject: The full cost of Strasbourg sessions

Have any independent studies been commissioned into the full cost of having a separate Parliament in
Strasbourg, including the capital and maintenance costs of the Strasbourg Parliament itself, the cost of
special trains, the transport of documents and the travel and accommodation costs of the Members’
personal staff as well as those working for the secretariats of the European institutions?

Does the Commission believe that the French government has done enough to improve direct air links
with other European countries at the time of the sessions in order to reduce the considerable difficulties
faced by many Members in travelling to and from Strasbourg?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2002)

The Commission has not commissioned independent studies such as those mentioned by the Honourable
Member and is not aware that anyone else has.

transport and accommodation costs,

On the issue of
the
Commission refers the Honourable Member to the detailed information provided in its answers to Written
Questions E-1733/99 by Mr Costa (1), E-2467/99 by Mrs Raschhofer (2) and oral question H-0747/00 by
Mr Corbett during question time at Parliament’s October 2000 session (3). It is understood that there have
travel and
been no changes other than those attributable to normal movements in the cost of
accommodation since that time.

including the transport of documents,

On the second part of the Honourable Member’s question, it is the understanding of the Commission that
the French government does not have responsibility for deciding civil aviation passenger routes and
frequencies within France or between France and other airports of origin and destination.

Naturally, the Commission is aware that several people, in Parliament and from other Institutions, who
in Strasbourg
have official duties that require their presence at plenary Sessions of the Parliament
the
experience difficulties in gaining convenient aviation connections to and from the city. Whilst