WRITTEN QUESTION E-1733/02 by Brice Hortefeux (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Greater security over bankcard payments.
Date: 2002-06-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: electronic money, fraud, industrial counterfeiting, payment

C 92 E/86

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

(2003/C 92 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1732/02

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council

(17 June 2002)

Subject: Expulsion of a delegation of politicians and journalists from El Aaiun (Western Sahara)

On Saturday 1 June a Spanish delegation, duly accredited and consisting of politicians and journalists,
arrived at the airport of El Aaiun in Western Sahara, on a flight from the Canaries. They were surprised
when, no sooner had they landed, than they were expelled from the airport on the order of the Moroccan
authorities, after being treated in an insulting and humiliating manner. The reason for the visit was to find
out about the situation in the Sahara, via interviews arranged beforehand with Minurso representatives and
with the authorities of El Aaiun and Smara, which unfortunately could not take place.

In view of the serious nature of the incident it is appropriate that the questioner, a member of the ad hoc
European Parliament delegation to the Sahara, should denounce this kind of anomaly and lack of
parliamentary courtesy on the part of the Moroccan Government towards a delegation consisting of
elected Community citizens, such as a female member of Parliament, a female senator, two members of
parliament of an autonomous region, a regional government minister, a mayor, two female councillors and
seven journalists who were going to cover the meeting.

In view of this and in accordance with Article 21 of the EU Treaty, which deals with the EU’s foreign and
security policy, the questioner wishes to denounce this outrageous behaviour to the Council and ask what
steps it intends to take vis-à-vis the Moroccan Government in connection with this serious incident?

Reply

(19 December 2002)

1.

The Council takes note of the incident reported by the Honourable Member.

2.
In general, the Council fully supports the UN’s efforts towards resolving the Western Sahara conflict,
whether undertaken at its New York headquarters or in the field through Minurso. In this connection, it
encourages any confidence-building contacts between the Parties, including at the human level, aimed at
reaching a lasting solution that fully respects human rights. It recently called upon Morocco to ensure full
respect for civil guarantees and human rights in Western Sahara and to continue cooperating with the
ICRC in order to clear up the issue of locating ‘disappeared’ Sahrawis.

Likewise, the Council has also called upon the Polisario to release the 1 260 Moroccan prisoners still
3.
being held in the Tindouf camps and to cooperate with the ICRC in order to clear up the issue of locating
Moroccan nationals who have disappeared.
It has further appealed to both Parties to allow, as a
humanitarian measure under the aegis of the HCR, refugees, prisoners and their families living in Western
Sahara freely to exchange letters and have telephone contacts, and has invited them to encourage family
visits bringing together Western Saharan residents and persons in the Tindouf refugee camps.

(2003/C 92 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1733/02

by Brice Hortefeux (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Greater security over bankcard payments

(17 June 2002)

Despite the constant efforts of banking establishments, bankcard fraud is still on the increase.

At the same time, the number of cardholders increased by 6 % in 2001. It therefore comes as no surprise
that over ten years the number of card transactions has almost doubled, reaching a figure of 4,8 billion by
2001.

17.4.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

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terminals for bankcard transactions in shops uses an advanced
The system of electronic payment
technology which reads the microchip data in each card. Cash machines also rely on the microchips in
bankcards for security checking the card pin code. However, not all the cards issued by banks in the
various Member States bear a microchip …

Given the above, and the upsurge in this type of fraud, will the European Commission ensure greater
standardisation of bankcard security mechanisms, which would allow European citizens to use this
increasingly popular payment method in total security?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(26 July 2002)

The Commission is aware of the increase of bank card fraud and agrees with the Honourable Member that
it is essential to introduce chip cards in all Member States in order to reduce counterfeit fraud. In fact, at
the moment the main source of payment fraud in the Community is counterfeit cards, accounting for
approximately 30 % of the losses. The payment card schemes and the banks are committed to introduce
chip cards in all Member States by 2005. The deadline is due to the huge number of cards to be re-issued
and of the equipment (terminals, automated teller machines, etc) to be replaced or modified.

To prevent fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash payments, the Commission adopted in February 2001 a
three-year Fraud Prevention Action Plan (1). Security improvements are the main priority of the Action
Plan, which supports the introduction of the highest economically viable level of security.

The Commission will organise in 2003 a Conference on the security of payments in the Internal Market,
with a view to improve information on the security of modern payment products and systems. Discussions
on the progress in the migration to chip cards in the Union take place regularly at the meetings of the EU
Fraud Prevention Experts Group, the steering group for the implementation of the Fraud Prevention Action
Plan.

The E-europe Smart Card Action Plan also provides for initiatives aimed at promoting the use of chip
cards for payment applications, which also cover standardisation issues.

(1) Communication from the Commission ‘Preventing fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment’,

COM(2001) 11 final.

(2003/C 92 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1738/02

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(17 June 2002)

Subject: Malta

Is the Commission aware the police force of Malta can, and sometimes does, refuse entry to Malta to EU
citizens without needing to give a reason? Is the Commission aware that such action is sometimes taken
against a citizen without there having been any criminal or other charges or previous convictions against
the person in question, and that this has even been done against an EU citizen possessing legally owned
property (house) in Malta?

Can the Commission confirm that such behaviour will not be in conformity with EU law once Malta joins
the European Union?

Have such matters been raised in the accession negotiations with Malta?

Does the Commission agree that, in any case, this is an infringement of Article 1 of Protocol 1 (Protection
of Property) of the European Convention on Human Rights which states that ‘Every natural or legal person
is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions’?