WRITTEN QUESTION E-0201/03 by Emilio Menéndez del Valle (PSE) to the Commission. Gibraltarian police violence.
Date: 2003-02-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Gibraltar, communications profession, ecology movement, freedom of communication, infringement of EU law, pacifism, police, tanker, violence

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/13

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(17 March 2003)

The Commission is not aware of any complaints or reports concerning the marketing of decayed
it is assumed that the competent

1.
rabbit meat imported from China.
authorities of the Netherlands took the appropriate protective measures.

If such marketing took place,

The Commission is enquiring from the competent authorities of the Netherlands about the allegation

2.
made in question 2 and will write to the Honourable Member with the results of this enquiry.

The Commission has no information on the alleged practices in Member States concerning meat of

3.
domestic animals, rabbit meat or wild game meat.

Directive 2000/13/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 20 March 2000 concerns the approximation
of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs (1).
Article 2(1) requires that labelling used must not mislead the purchaser as to the characteristics of the
foodstuff or attribute to the foodstuff effects or properties, which it does not possess.

4.
Freezing meat may affect its organoleptic qualities of appearance, odour and taste. Thawing frozen
meat causes fluid formation. Such fluid is a good medium for the growth of bacteria and might enhance
microbiological spoilage and growth of pathogenic bacteria. Re-freezing and subsequent re-thawing of
meat may accelerate the phenomenon.

Council Directive 89/108/EEC of 21 December 1988 on the approximation of the laws of the
5. and 6.
Member States relating to quick-frozen foodstuffs for human consumption (2) requires that such foodstuffs
in consumer packs must bear a clear message of the type ‘do not refreeze after defrosting’. Furthermore, in
relation to poultrymeat, Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1906/90 of 26 June 1990 on certain marketing
standards for poultrymeat (3) provides that poultrymeat sold under the presentations ‘fresh’,
‘frozen’ or
‘quick-frozen’ must have always been kept in the respective state.

(1) OJ L 109, 6.5.2000.
(2) OJ L 40, 11.2.1989.
(3) OJ L 173, 6.7.1990.

(2004/C 78 E/0014)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0201/03

by Emilio Menéndez del Valle (PSE) to the Commission

(3 February 2003)

Subject: Gibraltarian police violence

On 20 January 2003, in the bay of Algeciras, whose waters Spain considers Spanish, Greenpeace activists
carried out a peaceful demonstration against the single-hulled Maltese-registered oil tanker ‘Vemamagna’.

Public opinion in Spain and various other European countries is extremely sensitive to issues like this,
thanks to the ‘Prestige’ disaster, and all the more so now, thanks to the sinking of a barge carrying over a
thousand tonnes of fuel in the very waters of the bay of Algeciras on 21 January 2003.

There was considerable media coverage of the Greenpeace demonstration. Reporters from El País, El
Mundo, Tele-5, Antena 3, RTVE, Canal Sur and Associated Press were, in the course of their professional
duties, violently harassed by the Gibraltarian police and arrested (in waters which are, to say the very least,
the object of international
legal dispute), and the Tele 5 reporter was punched by the Gilbraltarian
policeman, as highlighted on the front page of El Mundo (21.1.2003).

C 78 E/14

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Quite apart from the fact that the Member State of which Gibraltar is a dependency is unwilling to
persuade Gibraltar that
is rather
surprising that one of the principles or values which distinguishes us as Europeans, namely respect for the
freedom of expression enjoyed by those working in the media, should have been so fragrantly violated in
Gibraltar.

it has to apply Community directives on single-hulled tankers,

it

Does the Commission intend to approach the Council, (cid:1) with enlargement under way, the moment could
not be more opportune (cid:1) with a view to encouraging the Council to suggest to the Member State whose
colony Gibraltar is that, for the sake of the Union’s good name, that Member State’s government should
both respect this principle and ensure that it is respected?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(9 January 2004)

Further to its holding reply to the Honourable Member’s written question of 27 March 2003, the
Commission is now in a position to give more information on the subject raised as it has received the
British authorities’ response.

The British authorities report that of the twenty people arrested, only six are to be charged and these cases
came before Court on 22 September 2003.

Furthermore, the response points out that decisions on arrests and on prosecution are taken pursuant to
the principle of law and in light of detailed legislation. The right of appeal against action of the police is
also foreseen.

In view of this response, although it deplores the use of force against media, the Commission proposes to
close its inquiry into this matter unless there are any issues on which the Honourable Member requires
further clarification.

(2004/C 78 E/0015)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0219/03

by Alexandros Baltas (PSE) to the Commission

(3 February 2003)

Subject: Countries which have set in place essential elements of the Integrated Administration and Control

System for certain Community aid schemes (IACS)

In order to establish the precise situation in the Member States and the willingness of each one to fully
comply with the provisions regarding controls on Community aid, will the Commission say:

1. To what extent has the IACS been set up in the EU Member States? Which countries have not yet

completed implementation, and what are the prospects for implementation in future?

2. Which countries have submitted full statistical data relating to the IACS and on which countries have

financial corrective measures been imposed owing to a failure to submit the above data?

3. What is the rate of implementation of on-the-spot checks and how reliable are they?

4. Does a single computer database exist for the programme, and, if so, is it available to the bodies

involved in implementing it?

5.

In which countries has codification on the basis of orthophoto maps been completed?

6. What progress has Greece made in implementing elements of the IACS, and what is the outlook for

2003?