WRITTEN QUESTION E-1580/03 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Data analyses of illegal drugs in the EU.
Date: 2003-05-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU statistics, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, data processing, drug addiction, health statistics

C 88 E/356

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

(2004/C 88 E/0361)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1576/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 May 2003)

Subject: EU-wide energy taxation

Following the recent agreement in the Council regarding the introduction of minimum energy taxation
across the EU, what steps will the Commission now take to secure implementation of the agreement?

When does it plan to propose the necessary measures, and by when does it hope that they will be applied
through the EU?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(5 June 2003)

The Council unanimously reached a political agreement on the draft energy tax Directive on 23 March
2003. Supporting the view of the Commission, the Council decided on 9 April 2003 to reconsult the
Parliament. This decision was adopted because the latest compromise is significantly different from the
proposal presented by the Commission in 1997 (1). It is, therefore, important that the Parliament has the
opportunity to give its opinion on the draft Directive.

The formal Council decision on the adoption of the energy tax Directive will only intervene after the
Parliament has delivered its opinion.

The Commission is committed to helping Member States and Applicant Countries in their work for the
transposition of the Directive. Technical meetings will be organised at services level to streamline the
transposition process and secure a rapid high quality transposition.

The Directive will normally enter into force on 1 January 2004, with the exception of a few articles which
apply retrospectively from 1 January 2003.

(1) OJ C 139, 6.5.1997.

(2004/C 88 E/0362)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1580/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(8 May 2003)

Subject: Data analyses of illegal drugs in the EU

Further to the answer given to my written question E-0315/03 (1), is the Commission now satisfied that it
has common definitions concerning data collection and analyses on illegal drug use?

If not, what actions are being undertaken to bring this about and when will they be complete?

(1) OJ C 51 E, 26.2.2004, p. 18.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(16 June 2003)

The nature of data collection calls for continous efforts at the Community level as well as at Member State
level in order to improve comparability and reliability. Work has been done in this regard under the public
health programmes and by the Emcdda (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction), in
cooperation with the European Statistical System (ESS). These efforts will continue.

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/357

In addition the Council Recommendation on the prevention and reduction of risks associated with drug
dependence, which is ready for adoption by the Council includes a range of measures which are relevant:

(cid:1) developing and implementing adequate evaluation protocols for all drug prevention and risk reduction

programmes;

(cid:1) establishing and implementing evaluation quality criteria, taking into account the Recommendations

of the Emcdda;

(cid:1) organising standardised data-collection and information dissemination according to the Emcdda

recommendations through the Reitox National Focal Points (1).

(1) The European Information Network on Drugs and Drug Addiction (Reitox) consists of one national focal point
(NFP) set up in each of the 15 EU Member States and in Norway, and one at the European Commission. The role of
a Focal point involves co-ordinating its national information centres to meet the EMCDDA’s requirements for a set
of core data, annual National Reports on the drug situation in each Member State and a national information
network (http://www.emcdda.org/partners/nfp.shtml).

(2004/C 88 E/0363)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1607/03

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 May 2003)

Subject: Repeated violations of human rights in Cuba

In the first few months of 2003 the Communist regime in Cuba decided to silence democratic dissent,
targeting journalists, opponents and advocates of human rights. On 18 March Fidel Castro’s police arrested
about 80 people who were complaining about the lack of democracy.

On 1 April eleven opponents of the regime hijacked a ferry in order to escape to the United States. Three
of the young men involved were executed 10 days later.

Since then there have been further reports concerning the inhuman conditions in Cuba’s prisons. Castro
turned down the UN’s request to be allowed to inspect the island’s prisons to ascertain whether they
respect human rights. According to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation
there are about 300 political prisoners in Cuba.

What steps will the Commission take to help safeguard human rights in Cuba?

Does the Commission President Romano Prodi intend to ask Fidel Castro directly whether Commission and
Parliament representatives may visit to ascertain whether and how EU cooperation funding is used?

How does the Commission intend to safeguard the rights of European citizens living and working on the
island?

Does Mr Prodi intend to back the request made by 31 Italian MEPs calling for a cooperation agreement
between the Union and the Cuban dictator to be signed without any prior check as to how democratic
Cuban institutions are?