WRITTEN QUESTION E-0865/03 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Nomadic women convicted of criminal activities threatened with expulsion.
Date: 2003-03-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, integration of migrants, nomadism, penalty, public safety, removal, residence permit, social rehabilitation, woman

21.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 280 E/107

The Council will naturally remain attentive to any implications of such an agreement for the Association
Agreement that Morocco concluded with the European Union and its Member States and which has been
in force for almost three years now, and for the new agricultural concessions which the two Parties are in
the process of negotiating.

(2003/C 280 E/122)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0865/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(20 March 2003)

Subject: Nomadic women convicted of criminal activities threatened with expulsion

In January 2003 Oradaria, an organisation in Rome which accommodates and helps nomadic people,
submitted a report on the situation of nomadic women in Italy. It revealed cases of women convicted of
crimes who are currently in prison together with their children.

In particular it mentioned the case of a nomadic Bosnian woman who has been living in Italy with her
young daughter for more than 12 years. When she arrived in 1988 she started to commit crimes in
various parts of Italy, in particular theft and robbery, and received a number of convictions. Since 2000
she has been under house arrest with her daughter in a reception centre.

After going through a process of integration into society and employment she has become a useful
member of the community and has, in particular, helped her daughter to become integrated in the school
she attends.

However, because of her complex history of convictions and proceedings pending, she will probably be
expelled.

In view of the above, can the Commission say:

1. whether European legislation on asylum makes provision for cases of this kind;

2. whether there are any action programmes for the benefit of nomadic women with a criminal record?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(22 April 2003)

In the field of asylum, there is no Community law in place at present which could make provision for the
case of the kind described by the Honourable Member. In particular, the proposal for a Council Directive
on minimum standards for the qualification as a refugee or as a person otherwise in need of international
protection (1), which might cover such a case depending on the situation, is still under negotiation in the
Council.

In the field of immigration, the Commission proposals which might cover this particular case, depending
on the circumstances under which the person in question has been allowed to stay and reside in Italy,
contain provisions for excluding or expelling persons for public order or security reasons. In particular,
third country nationals who have been residing legally and continuously for five years in the territory of a
Member State, may thus only be expelled under the conditions outlined in Article 13 of the proposal on
the status of third country nationals who are long term residents (2).

The Honourable Member is, however, advised that the Council has not yet adopted the above Directives
and that therefore in this case national law applies. Expulsion measures are regularly taken in cases of
frequent criminal convictions (cf also Article 3 of Council Directive 2001/40/EC of 28 May 2001 on the
mutual recognition of decisions on the expulsion of third country nationals (3)), since persistent offenders
are not normally considered to be successfully integrated.

C 280 E/108

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

21.11.2003

There are no specific Union programmes covering the integration of nomadic women with a criminal
record. However, the Commission will shortly launch pilot projects in the field of integration of legally
resident immigrants. The overall objective is to support networks and transfer of information and good
practices between Member States in order to facilitate open dialogue and identify priorities for integration
programmes.

(1) OJ C 51 E, 26.2.2002.
(2) OJ C 240 E, 28.8.2001.
(3) OJ L 149, 2.6.2001.

(2003/C 280 E/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0877/03

by Jean Lambert (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(21 March 2003)

Subject: European Commission document ‘STAR 21 (cid:1) Strategic Aerospace Review for the 21st Century’

The European Commission document ‘STAR 21 (cid:1) Strategic Aerospace Review for the 21st Century’,
published in July 2002, looks at the future of the aerospace industry in the EU. It appears that this is
combining both civil and military space development, which for many EU-citizens is a disturbing lack of
distinction.

In this light,

(cid:1) what plans does the Commission have to publish a different strategy for civil and military

development, so that a clear distinction can be made;

(cid:1) in the future, does the Commission intend to consult more widely societal interests on the issues,

given that the STAR 21 programme was based on industry predictions?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(6 May 2003)

As the Commission indicated in its reply to Written Questions E-3536/02 and E-3537/02 by Mr Huhne (1),
the members of the Advisory Group on Aerospace contributed in a personal capacity. Accordingly, the
STAR 21 report represents the collective views of the Advisory Group and is not a Commission document.
The Commission has, nevertheless, welcomed the report as a key contribution to improving the political
and regulatory framework of Europe’s aerospace industry and it encourages broad discussion among all
interested parties on the STAR 21 recommendations.

As regards the distinction between civil and military programmes, the Commission notes that the Advisory
Group, in highlighting a number of key characteristics of the aerospace industry, draws attention to the
complementary nature of civil and defence products, noting that they share many of the same skills and
technologies, yet meet the needs of two very different markets, both of which are economically important.

Space technology is one particular segment where the major developments in all key areas (launchers,
earth observation, navigation or telecommunication) can potentially be used for applications on the civil or
the defence side. Thus, space is very much a multiple-use industry. Recent examples include rocket
technologies developed by the United States military (Delta 4 and Atlas 5) which are expected to be used
to offer substantial numbers of launch services on the commercial market. Similar developments have
taken place in Russia. On the other hand, Europe’s commercial Ariane system does not benefit from
similar defence investments.