WRITTEN QUESTION P-3825/02 by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Council. Veterinary Medicine Directive.
Date: 2002-12-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Catalonia, Cohesion Fund, EU initiative, Structural Funds, implementation of the budget

18.9.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 222 E/115

(2003/C 222 E/133)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3843/02

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

Subject: Expulsion from Italy of the Al-Shari family

(9 January 2003)

The Italian police have handed over to the Syrian police the engineer Muhammad Al-Shari (who was
sentenced to death some years ago in Syria on the grounds of being a member of
the Muslim
Brotherhood), together with his wife and four children, after holding them in detention for five days at
Malpensa airport
in
circumstances amounting to a deliberate breach of the international conventions on asylum and the much-
lauded Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The Al-Shari family had arrived from Iraq,
and at the very least they should have been ‘sent back’ to that country. Instead, they were handed back to
the Syrian dictatorship.

(Milan), during which time they were not allowed contact with third persons,

The author of this question hereby declares his intention to take this case to the European Court of
Human Rights in Strasbourg, and meanwhile asks the Council what steps it will take to ascertain whether
the death sentence decreed against Muhammad Al-Shari in Syria has been carried out or not, to state what
action it will take with a view to safeguarding the physical integrity of the Al-Shari family, and to call on
the Italian government to abide by its international commitments.

Joint answer
to Written Questions P-3822/02 and E-3843/02

(5 and 6 May 2003)

The Council has no information regarding the case raised by the Honourable Members.

In this field the Council is continuing its examination of the proposals for Directives on the qualification of
third country nationals and stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international
protection, and on procedures for granting and withdrawing refugee status.

The purpose of those proposals is to establish minimum standards to be applied in circumstances raised by
the Honourable Members.

(2003/C 222 E/134)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3825/02

by Avril Doyle (PPE-DE) to the Council

(20 December 2002)

Subject: Veterinary Medicine Directive

Will the Agricultural Council of Ministers be dealing with the Veterinary Medicine Directive?

If not, could the Council state which Council will be dealing with this most important issue?

What priority will be given to tabling this Directive on the relevant Council agenda?

Reply

(13 May 2003)

1.
The Commission proposed a package of measures to reform the Community’s pharmaceutical
legislation in November 2001. This package comprises a proposal for a new Regulation laying down
Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for both human and
veterinary use as well as proposed amendments to the existing Directives on medicinal products for human
and veterinary use.

2.
The Council has given high priority to the work on these proposals. Discussions have essentially
taken place within a single forum, because of the close links between the three elements of the package.

C 222 E/116

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

18.9.2003

To date, they have principally focused on the proposed Regulation. An exchange of views took place
within the Council formation involving Health Ministers at the end of June and of December 2002.

3.
However, at preparatory levels, separate discussions have also taken place on some key issues that are
specific to the Directive on veterinary medicinal products: the problem of the availability of such products,
and the problem of ensuring that horses not intended for food production can be treated with necessary
pharmaceuticals. The Council will give appropriate treatment with a view to reaching a satisfactory
conclusion of the package as a whole, involving all the necessary technicalities concerned. No precise
calendar for adoption has yet been scheduled.

(2003/C 222 E/135)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3836/02

by Anna Terrón i Cusí (PSE) to the Commission

(9 January 2003)

Subject: Execution of appropriations in Catalonia between 2000 and 2002

Can the Commission provide information on the execution rate for commitment and payment
appropriations for the 2001, 2002 and 2003 financial years in respect of the Structural Funds, the
Cohesion Fund and the Community initiatives in Catalonia?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 2003)

The table below shows the implementation in Catalonia of commitment and payment appropriations from
the Structural Funds (including the Community Initiatives) and the Cohesion Fund in 2000, 2001 and
2002.

Programming period
1994-1999

Programming period
2000-2006

2000

2001

2002

2000

2001

2002 (1)

(EUR million)

Commitments

(cid:1)

(cid:1)

Objective 2

Objective 3

Objective 5(b)

CIs

FIFG (3)

Cohesion Funds

Payments

Commitments

Payments

Commitments

Payments

Commitments

Payments

Commitments

Payments

Commitments

Payments

0,0

255,2

(cid:1)

(cid:1)

0,0

(cid:1)

(cid:1)

8,3

(cid:1)

15,0

(cid:1)

1,0

11,9 (2)

0,0

(cid:1)

8,7

(cid:1)

0,0

(cid:1)

0,0

(cid:1)

0,0

0,0

0,0

30,4

0,0

0,0

0,0

0,0

0,0

360,5

182,7

156,2

31

0,0

5,6

1,7

16,1

3,2

93,9

31,6

34

8,7

2,5

16,6

4,8

120,4

627,7

365,8

0,0

53,6

467,3

(1)
Provisional figures.
(2) Advances from 1999.
(3)

(FIFG: Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance) (cid:1) According to information provided by the Spanish authorities in the annual
implementing reports; the figures available for 2002 reflect the situation on 15 October 2002 (date of the documentation for the
Monitoring Committee).