WRITTEN QUESTION P-2538/02 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Council. United effort by EU Member States to support the International Criminal Court by ending the exemption granted by Romania.
Date: 2002-09-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, International Criminal Court, International Criminal Tribunal, Romania, United States, accession negotiations, bilateral agreement, war crime

C 155 E/30

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.7.2003

The Council would like to remind the Honorable MEP that Common Position 2001/931/CFSP, which was
adopted to implement UN Security Council resolution 1373(2001) laying out wide-ranging strategies to
combat terrorism, applies to persons and groups involved in terrorist acts regardless of the place where
those acts have been committed.

In the field of human rights referred to by the Honorable MEP, the Council has recently reiterated in a
declaration on the death penalty and particularly cruel forms of execution its opposition to the death
penalty in general and to execution by stoning in particular.

As regards counter-terrorism, the EU expects Iran to implement fully UNSCR 1373 and to ratify and
implement all relevant UN Conventions. Moreover, the negotiations due to start shortly on a trade and
cooperation agreement with Iran will be accompanied by parallel negotiations on provisions for
cooperation on counter-terrorism. The trade and cooperation agreement and the counter-terrorism
provisions will form an indissociable whole as regards entry into force, application and denunciation.

(2003/C 155 E/032)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2538/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Council

(5 September 2002)

Subject: United effort by EU Member States to support the International Criminal Court by ending the

exemption granted by Romania

Does the Council intend temporarily to suspend the current negotiations with Romania as an applicant
country for accession to the European Union until the latter revokes the agreement recently concluded
with the United States to exempt American citizens from extradition to the International Criminal Court
(ICC) in The Hague, with a view to clearly demonstrating to the whole world and in particular to other
applicant countries that there can be no doubt as to the united will of the European Union to enable the
ICC to fulfil its function fully, unimpeded and without privileges being enjoyed by any state?

Reply

(3 March 2003)

The Council is aware that on 1 August 2002 Romania signed an agreement with the United States on this
matter, ratification of which is pending. While stressing that Romania has the right as a sovereign State to
sign any such agreement, the Council draws attention to its Common Position on the International
Criminal Court of 11 June 2001, as amended on 20 June 2002, on which Romania has aligned itself. The
Council also invites the Honourable Parliamentarian to refer to the conclusions it agreed upon on this
matter on 30 September 2002. The Council expects Romania to comply with the obligations it assumed
when it endorsed the Statute of the International Criminal Court and to take account of the EU position
with regard to ratification.

(2003/C 155 E/033)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2541/02

by Rosa Miguélez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(6 September 2002)

Subject: Irregularities involved in the future construction of a regasification plant in the Ria de Ferrol

(Spain)

Is the Commission aware that, despite the accidents in Toulouse and Enschede the firm Reganosa (cid:1) with
the municipal authorities responsible for the policy of allocating and using land,
the approval of