WRITTEN QUESTION P-1653/03 by Joost Lagendijk (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. European Civil Peace Corps — current developments — mainstreaming of conflict prevention in external EU policies.
Date: 2003-05-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU policy, Eurocorps, conflict prevention, cooperation policy, foreign policy, peace

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/379

PHARE Projects for Roma are generally implemented in close co-operation with Roma representatives.
A National Steering Committee, composed of the National Council on Ethnic and Demographic Issues and
35 Roma NGOs is responsible for overall coordination. The Commission’s Delegation provides observers
in the meetings of the National Steering Committee. Transparency is ensured through the obligation to
publish all projects and strategies on the web pages of the relevant Ministries and the National Council on
Ethnic and Demographic Issues (NCEDI), as well as through the media.

Proper involvement of Roma and their representative organisations in identification of the needs, the
project design preparation and implementation is crucial to the success of these projects. To the extent
possible, Roma advisers in the national administrations and governmental structures in charge of Roma or
minority issues are therefore regularly consulted during the programming process. Funding priorities are
discussed in the context of the frequent contacts the Commission maintains with the National Council for
Ethnic and Demographic Issues which is the mandated body to co-ordinate government policies,
programmes and funds related to ethnic issues, and to facilitate the dialogue and interaction between
ethnic minorities, government and civil society in Bulgaria. Representatives of numerous ministries,
governmental institutions as well as representatives of thirty-five non-governmental organisations of ethnic
minorities are members of this body. The priorities are in line with the Framework Programme for Roma
Integration adopted by the last two governments and 150 Roma NGOs. In addition consultative bodies
involving NGOs are been established on various aspects of the Framework programme.

Despite these efforts, the socio-economic situation and living conditions of the Roma population remain
difficult. They also face widespread discrimination. The integration of Roma in society should be the first
priority, even if it is difficult to achieve visible results in the short term. This priority should be addressed
within all key national policies, such as education, housing, public health and employment and combined
with the necessary budgetary means. Moreover, the development of an appropriate legal framework to deal
with minority issues will further increase the sustainability of a number of projects. In this context, the
adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation would, for instance, be an important step
forward. A very important additional aspect is to further decentralise Roma policy at the regional and
national level in line with the principle of subsidiarity. The Commission has invited Bulgaria to address
these issues in the framework of the recently revised Accession Partnership.

(2004/C 78 E/0401)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1653/03

by Joost Lagendijk (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(13 May 2003)

Subject: European Civil Peace Corps (cid:1) current developments (cid:1) mainstreaming of conflict prevention in

external EU policies

The European Parliament has asked for the establishment of a European Civil Peace Corps several times.
So far the other institutions have not followed up on this. What action will the Commission take with
regard to the expressed readiness of the Greek Presidency to make progress on EU conflict prevention and
the European Civil Peace Corps? How much progress has the Commission made with the establishment of
the network of training institutes for civilian crisis management? How does the Commission envisage
moving on from this towards a European Civil Peace Corps? As national ministries and institutes each have
least promote
different rosters, what steps is the Commission going to take to harmonise, or at
compatibility of these rosters? Would the Commission be prepared to administer a roster at EU level for
EU crisis management operations? How would NGOs and their specialists be part of these rosters?

To what extent is the Commission following up Parliament’s proposals for conflict assessments in all EU
external policies? What have been the results in the areas of external trade, agriculture policy and
environmental policy? Has the Commission achieved its goal of mainstreaming conflict prevention in EU
development cooperation policies? In this perspective, has the Commission been able to apply Article 11
of the Cotonou agreement? How much funding under the EDF has been made available for conflict
prevention? In which ACP countries does the Commission support conflict prevention programmes with

C 78 E/380

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

EDF or Community budget funding? Has the Commission been able to make its policies on food security,
food aid, infrastructure, water supply and other sectoral aid programmes more conflict-sensitive? If so, in
what ways? If not, why not?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(13 June 2003)

European Civilian Peace Corps

Improving the personnel capacities of the Union to address situations of conflict or potential conflict
remains one of the key challenges in building a credible and effective operational capacity to support the
Union’s external policy. There is a clear need to be able to identify at short notice personnel with the
experience and training to contribute to the Union’s civilian crisis management activities and Community
assistance programmes, which are increasingly called to intervene in crisis and post-conflict situations.
The Commission’s approach to the range of issues this raises is outlined in Annex 1 which is sent direct to
the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

Mainstreaming Conflict Prevention

The Commission is in agreement with Parliament that a conflict sensitive approach is required in all
external assistance programmes, and indeed in other areas such as economic, agriculture, trade and
environment policy and diplomatic activity. In parallel, funding is needed for specific activities targeting
the prevention or alleviation of conflict situations. The Commission continues to implement this strategy
for conflict prevention, which was first set out by the Commission in the April 2001 Communication (1).
A summary of progress made is attached in Annex 2 which is sent direct to the Honourable Member and
to Parliament’s Secretariat.

(1) Communication from the Commission on Conflict Prevention, Brussels 11.4.2001 COM(2001) 211 final.

(2004/C 78 E/0402)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1661/03

by Luigi Vinci (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(13 May 2003)

Subject: Trial of Leyla Zana

Knowing that:

(cid:1) I have attended the two sessions held so far of the retrial in Ankara of Leyla Zana and her three
colleagues, who have been in prison for some 10 years serving a sentence passed by a tribunal
dismissed as unfair by both the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the European
Parliament. I attended the second session of the trial also in my capacity as a member of the ad hoc
delegation of the European Parliament;

(cid:1) apart from the absence of a military judge, there is no difference between this trial and that of 1994;

(cid:1) the rights of the defence continue to be flagrantly breached. The panel of judges has rejected the
request by the defence to introduce new witnesses, i.e. witnesses for the defence, none of whom was
allowed to testify in the 1994 trial. Moreover, the defence is not allowed to put questions directly to
witnesses (cid:1) all of whom appear for the prosecution (cid:1) but must submit questions to the president of
the panel of judges, who then puts them to the witnesses with modifications of his own;

(cid:1) the president of the court has refused to allow witness statements made in 1994 to be read out in

court;