WRITTEN QUESTION E-0549/03 by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission. Minority rights in Vietnam.
Date: 2003-02-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Viet Nam, cooperation agreement (EU), democratisation, freedom of religious beliefs, human rights, rights of minorities

C 58 E/20

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Lamy on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 2003)

The Honourable Member is referred to the statement made by the Commission during the debate on trade
in services within the framework of the WTO, including cultural diversity, at Parliament’s part-session in
March this year.

(2004/C 58 E/022)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0549/03

by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 February 2003)

Subject: Minority rights in Vietnam

As the Commission is aware, officials in Vietnam continue to stifle free expression, and to systematically
suppress and control the activities of religious groups, including ethnic minority Christians in the northern
and central highlands, members of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, and Hoa Hao
Buddhists in the south. Members of these faiths and their leaders are frequently detained by local
authorities and are subjected to beatings and pressure to renounce their religion and cease religious
gatherings.

Apart
from taking every available opportunity to raise its concerns with Vietnamese officials and
politicians about such continued human rights abuses, what pressure can the Commission exert on
Vietnam’s authorities to ensure the situation improves?

Does the continued and systematic persecution of religious minorities not infringe the Human Rights
Article of the Framework Cooperation Agreement signed between the EC and Vietnam in July 1995? If it
does, what action will the Commission take?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(14 May 2003)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its reply to Written Question E-454/03 by
Mr Graham Watson (1), concerning the persecution of Christians in Vietnam.

As far as the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam is concerned the Honourable Member may know that
the situation has recently evolved. Most notably, its Supreme Patriarch, Venerable Thich Huyen Qang, has
been received by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. The Commission is aware that the recent events
do not automatically entail a change with regard to the legal status of the Unified Buddhist Church of
Vietnam, which remains banned in the country. The Commission will continue to monitor closely the
developments, but considers that these latest gestures of the Government of Vietnam are an encouraging
step towards enhanced tolerance of freedom of religion.

The Union’s policy towards Vietnam, and indeed to all countries, is to encourage and support continued
progress on human rights and democratisation, and to raise concerns where any abuses or a deterioration
in the situation is observed.

The Community-Vietnam Co-operation Agreement, which was signed in 1995, states in its first Article
that respect for human rights and democratic principles is the basis of our co-operation. This reference
constitutes the enabling framework for the Human Rights dialogue of
the Commission with the
Government of Vietnam, for instance in the context of Joint Commission meetings. The Commission,
together with the Member States represented in Vietnam,
therefore monitors closely human rights
developments in Vietnam as part of the policy of the Union to encourage and support the continued
commitment of
in the field of human rights.
The Commission also participates with the Member States in the regular dialogue with and in all
démarches to the Government of Vietnam on human rights issues.

the Government of Vietnam to make progress

6.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 58 E/21

The Union, Commission and Member states, have repeatedly urged the Government of Vietnam to
strengthen its respect for political and religious freedoms, to further strengthen economic and social
freedoms and to create a legal framework for a supportive environment to allow the development of a
strengthened civil society, from which Vietnam would greatly benefit. Commission and Member states
have expressed these requests in their joint declaration at the Consultative Group meeting in Hanoi in
December 2002.

The May 2001 Commission Communication on the Union’s Role in Promoting Human Rights and
Democratisation in Third Countries confirmed that the Commission would take action to enhance the
positive impact of Community assistance programmes on respect for human rights and democratisation by
(cid:1) inter alia (cid:1) taking performance in the area of human rights (including social, economic and cultural
rights) into account when deciding country allocations under the main co-operation programmes.

In addition to the explanations given in the reply to Written Question E-454/03, referred to above, the
Commission would like to draw the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that an exploratory
mission of the Commission has now been sent to Vietnam to look at possibilities, involving inter alia the
ethnic minorities, to reduce poverty in the Central Highlands and thus to deal with some of the root causes
of the problems in the area.

(1) See page 18.

(2004/C 58 E/023)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0556/03

by María Izquierdo Rojo (PSE) to the Commission

(20 February 2003)

Subject: European funding and the banning of women from Mount Athos

The European Parliament has recently adopted two motions for resolutions (Swiebel and Izquierdo Rojo
reports) in which it opposed the banning of women from Mount Athos. It should also be borne in mind
that the monastery region of Mount Athos has been granted aid to restore and renovate monasteries and
preserve cultural treasures, which belong to both men and women.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. How much European funding has been allocated for this purpose?

2. Does the Commission not take the view that it is mandatory for the ‘acquis communautaire’ to be

applied, in line with the EU’s fundamental principles?

3. What European Economic Area funding mechanism has been used to benefit the region economically?

4. Under the Community support framework for Greece,

in what specific way is such aid granted
through the structural funds? What criteria have been used to define the fields of structural adjustment
and economic development?

Answer given by Mr Barnier on behalf of the Commission

(7 March 2003)

The Commission is collecting the information it needs to answer the question. It will communicate its
findings as soon as possible.