WRITTEN QUESTION E-1104/02 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council. Political measures to clarify relations between the Canaries and Morocco.
Date: 2002-04-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Canary Islands, EU migration policy, EU regional policy, EU relations, EU waters, Morocco, exclusive economic zone, illegal migration, peripheral region

12.12.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 309 E/83

(2002/C 309 E/095)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1103/02

by María Valenciano Martínez-Orozco (PSE)
and Anna Terrón i Cusí (PSE) to the Council

(18 April 2002)

Subject: Council Framework Decision on combating trafficking in human beings

Trafficking in human beings is a serious problem in Europe. The main reason for the unsuccessful
implementation of the specific objectives of the Joint Action of February 1997 concerning action to
combat the trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation of children is the lack of common
definitions, charges and sanctions in the criminal law of Member States. Moreover, political agreement
within the Council on the definitive text already appears to have existed since autumn 2001. When does
the Council foresee the formal adoption of the Framework Decision on combating trafficking in human
beings (1) and what are the factors blocking its final adoption?

(1) COM(2000) 854 final, OJ C 62 E, 27.2.2001, p. 324.

Reply

(30 September 2002)

As the Honourable Members rightly state in their question, political agreement was reached on the draft
Framework Decision at the Council meeting on 27 and 28 September 2001, without prejudice to the
parliamentary scrutiny reservations of several Member States not all of which have yet been withdrawn.

(2002/C 309 E/096)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1104/02

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council

(18 April 2002)

Subject: Political measures to clarify relations between the Canaries and Morocco

The geographical proximity of the Canary Islands to the African Continent (Morocco, Sahara, Mauritania)
is indisputable, as is the fact that the Canary Islands are also European territory by virtue of being an
autonomous community of a Member State (Spain) and have to be considered as such when implementing
the European Treaties. The same applies to the fulfilment of obligations and
the provisions of
commitments under the international agreements and treaties signed by the European Union with non-
member countries, especially neighbouring countries of
the Canary Islands, such as Morocco and
Mauritania.

the outermost regions of

is furthermore indisputable that

It
the EU enjoy legal protection under
paragraph 2 of Article 299 of the EC Treaty, which enables the Council to adopt specific measures in
several areas, such as economic, trade or financial matters, when Community provisions are implemented.
This allows them to deal with many problems, which in the case of the Canaries result from a set of
its proximity to
circumstances which include its geographical position as the EU’s external frontier,
another continent, as well as its insularity and the distance factor. However, there are other areas such as
social and environmental matters, in which different problems arise (cid:1) deriving, in the first instance, from
illegal immigration and, in the second instance, from prospecting for and exploiting natural resources (cid:1)
for which no specific corrective measures have been envisaged by the Community institutions.

This legal void should be brought to the Community’s attention by the Presidency of the Council in order
to resolve and deal with these types of issues, which are often controversial, of which Morocco’s attitude is
a case in point. Firstly, it has failed to comply with the action plan on migration agreed on with the EU,
taking a permissive attitude to illegal immigration from its territory to that of the Canaries. A second

C 309 E/84

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

12.12.2002

example is its approach to the issue of the geographical limits of the waters under Spanish jurisdiction in
the Canaries, particularly as regards Spain’s exclusive economic zone, which is of course also an EEZ of the
European Union.

Given this situation, and in the light of Article 21 of the EU Treaty, which allows the European Parliament
to direct questions to the Council with regard to issues of EU common foreign and security policy, what
political measures is the Council considering to clarify, and where necessary, remedy the anomalies
affecting relations between the Canaries, one of the outermost regions of the EU, and Morocco?

Reply

(3 October 2002)

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that questions relating to migration, including the
implementation of the action plan for Morocco, are the subject of dialogue between the Moroccan and EU
authorities in the Working Party on Social Affairs and Migration, the main subjects for discussion of which
are legal migration (integration of immigrants, equality of opportunity, etc.), illegal migration and socio-
economic development. The most recent meeting of the Working Party on Social Affairs and Migration
between the EU and Morocco was held in Rabat on 12 March 2002. At that meeting, the Moroccan
delegation stressed the firm commitment of Morocco’s security services to combating illegal immigration
and mafia networks trafficking in human beings, and called for extensive cooperation with the EU on the
basis of co-responsibility and co-development. In this respect,
it is necessary to increase the technical
resources assigned to combating illegal migration and networks trafficking in human beings and to
contribute to the socio-economic development of the regions of origin of immigrants.

A large share of financial cooperation between the EU and its Member States and Morocco is allocated to
projects relating to migration, including the management of Morocco/EU border controls, EUR 40 million
of the cost of which will be financed by MEDA funds. A mission of experts from the Member States and
the Commission will travel to Morocco in July to evaluate Morocco’s specific needs. Moreover, Morocco is
the main beneficiary of budget heading B7-667, a new instrument for financing migration projects.

The Commission is conducting exploratory discussions with a view to concluding a readmission agreement
which could also provide for the readmission of third-country nationals illegally resident in an EU Member
State who had entered the EU from Morocco. Although Morocco refused for a long time to conclude such
an agreement, it has now expressed its willingness to do so and formal negotiations could begin soon.

In general, the Seville European Council on 21 and 22 June 2002 invited the Council and the Commission
to press ahead with implementation of Article 299(2) of the Treaty, which recognises the specific nature of
the outermost regions, and to submit suitable proposals for their special needs to be taken into account
through the various common policies, in particular transport policy, and in the reform of certain policies,
in particular regional policy.

(2002/C 309 E/097)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1108/02

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(18 April 2002)

Subject: Measures against the Israeli Government

In the face of Israeli troops’ full-scale and illegal invasion of the Palestinian autonomous territories, the
European Union has, unfortunately, confined itself to mere advice to Sharon not to take matters to
extremes with the President of the Palestinian Authority. It also continues to insist that the Middle East is a
matter for the USA and not Europe, whilst refusing to take practical measures against
the Israeli
Government as it did at a very early stage and in drastic fashion against Yugoslavia during the events in
Kosovo.