WRITTEN QUESTION E-0865/02 by Matti Wuori (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Stabilisation and association negotiations with the FRY and cooperation with the ICTY.
Date: 2002-04-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Union, International Criminal Tribunal, Serbia and Montenegro, Yugoslavia, accession negotiations, cooperation policy

C 92 E/28

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(19 April 2002)

The Commission would like to draw the Honourable Member’s attention to its recent Communication
‘Adapting to change in work and society: a new Community strategy on health and safety at work
2002-2006’ (1), which adopts a global approach to well-being at work, taking account of changes in the
world of work and the emergence of new risks, especially of a psycho-social nature. With this in mind, and
as indicated in the above Communication, the Commission will examine the appropriateness and the scope
of a Community instrument on the issue of psychological harassment in the workplace.

(1) COM(2002) 118 final, 11.3.2002.

(2003/C 92 E/031)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0865/02

by Matti Wuori (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(2 April 2002)

Subject: Stabilisation and association negotiations with the FRY and cooperation with the ICTY

Given that continued EU assistance as part of the ongoing stabilisation and association negotiations with
the FRY Government
to on full and genuine cooperation by the latter with the ICTY
(International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), what specific measures did the Commission
undertake at its Consultative Task Force meeting of 21 February to urge the FRY Government to improve
its record in this area?

is subject

Did the Commission note with concern that no transfers of indictees have taken place since November
2001, that an indictee continues to serve as President of the Republic of Serbia, and that the Yugoslav
army continues to refuse access to its documents?

What specific commitments did the Commission secure at the meeting from the FRY Government in this
area, and within what timeframe does it expect these commitments to be implemented? What measures
does the Commission intend to propose if no significant change is noticeable by the deadline it has set?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2002)

The issue of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal
for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was raised by the Commission at the meeting of the Union-FRY Consultative
Task Force on 21 February 2002, as at the previous meetings of the Consultative Task Force and all other
bilateral meetings. The Commission’s concerns in this regard (cid:1) in relation to access to archives and
witnesses as well as the handover of indictees, as well as the general principle of compliance with
obligations of United Nations membership, on all of which ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte has
described cooperation as ‘inadequate’ (cid:1) are also clearly reflected in the FRY chapter of its Annual Report
on the Stabilisation and Association process, adopted on 27 March 2002.

Since relations with the Union, under the Stabilisation and Association process, depend on an assessment
of the totality of political and economic reforms, precise deadlines are not usually applied to specific
reforms. However, Belgrade is aware that the pace of development of FRY’s relations with the Union
depends on the speed with which the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia implement political
and economic reforms and,
in particular, comply with international obligations such as this. As the
Honourable Member is aware, the federal authorities, most recently Foreign Minister Svilanovic during his
visit to Brussels on 20 March 2002, have promised both the Commission and the Parliament that more
handovers of indictees will occur in the near future. The Commission welcomes the recent adoption by
Belgrade of the law on co-operation with the Hague Tribunal, and looks forward to it being turned into
action. It is important that the FRY should co-operate fully in respect of all those indicated by the ICTY.