WRITTEN QUESTION P-2069/03 by Véronique De Keyser (PSE) to the Commission. Netherlands' EUR 2 coin.
Date: 2003-06-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Netherlands, euro, technical specification

26.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 51 E/195

(2004/C 51 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2068/03

by Marco Cappato (NI), Maurizio Turco (NI),
Marco Pannella (NI), Olivier Dupuis (NI), Gianfranco Dell’Alba (NI)
and Benedetto Della Vedova (NI) to the Council

Subject: Introduction of the Sharia in a province of Pakistan

(20 June 2003)

The assembly of the Pakistani province of North-West Frontier has approved a draft law providing for the
imposition of the Sharia. All that is needed now is the signature of the provincial governor, because, in
this Pakistani province on the border with Afghanistan,
Islamic law takes precedence over secular
provincial legislation and all Muslims are required to observe it. Moreover, in this Pakistani province the
authorities recently announced the establishment of a department of virtue and vice, which inevitably calls
to mind similar bodies set up by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Analysts regard the signing of the draft law by the provincial governor as a mere formality, so that, in a
few days’ time, Pakistanis living in North-West Frontier Province will be required to observe Islamic law, as
was the case in Afghanistan prior to the intervention by British and US forces.

1.

Can the Council state what information it has regarding this situation?

2. What diplomatic representations it intends to make to the Pakistan Government with a view to
preventing the imposition of the Sharia in a province of that country?

3. What measures it intends to take to protect the fundamental principle of secularism against the risk
of abolition by majority fundamentalist groups, in some cases by means of ‘democratic’ procedures, a step
which serves to restrict or do away with the fundamental right to religious freedom recognised by
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

Reply

(7 October 2003)

The Council would like to underline that the EU,
in all dialogue meetings with Pakistan, stresses the
importance it attaches to respect for human rights: it will continue to do so on every possible occasion, in
representations. The EU Heads of Mission in Islamabad follow
particular by making confidential
developments in the human rights area very closely and raise general matters and individual cases in the
course of their regular contacts with the authorities.

The Council shares the Honourable MEPs’ concerns over the approval of a draft law providing for the
imposition of the Sharia in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The Council has conveyed its
serious preoccupations over the situation at the Political Directors meeting that took place in Islamabad on
7 June 2003. The Council will keep the further evolution of this problem under close scrutiny, and will, if
necessary, decide on appropriate reactions.

(2004/C 51 E/215)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2069/03

by Véronique De Keyser (PSE) to the Commission

(17 June 2003)

Subject: Netherlands’ EUR 2 coin

The edge of the Netherlands’ EUR 2 coin bears a reference to a God. Can you tell me which God is meant?

C 51 E/196

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

26.2.2004

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(3 July 2003)

The characteristics of the different national euro coins were published in the Official Journal (1) on the basis
of information provided by Member States.

The edge lettering of the EUR 2 coin differs from country to country. The Dutch EUR 2 coin bears the
following words ‘GOD * ZIJ * MET * ONS’ (‘God be with us’). No further information was provided by the
Dutch authorities.

(1) OJ C 373, 28.12.2001.

(2004/C 51 E/216)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2071/03

by Anne Jensen (ELDR) to the Commission

(24 June 2003)

Subject: VAT refunds

Danish hauliers have encountered problems in obtaining refunds of VAT on diesel purchased in other
Member States.
the responsible authorities in those Member States have imposed
unnecessary administrative burdens on hauliers and have been slow to process VAT refunds. Among
others things, the failure to pay out refunds in due time has resulted in financial problems for hauliers.

In some cases,

What steps will the Commission take to remedy this situation? Will it take initiatives to simplify the
administration of VAT refunds? If so, of what will those initiatives consist?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(25 July 2003)

At present traders who incur expenditure in a Member State where they are not established have to submit
an application to that Member State to obtain a refund of the VAT on such expenditure under the
arrangements provided for in the Eighth VAT Directive (1).

Traders, and road hauliers in particular, have been complaining for some years about these arrangements
and about the cumbersome administrative formalities they involve and the time it takes to obtain a refund.

The Commission is aware of these problems and in June 1998 submitted a proposal for a directive (2) to
replace these arrangements by an entitlement for taxable persons to recover the VAT directly in the VAT
returns they submit in the Member State where they are established. That Member State will then obtain a
refund of the amount in question from the Member State where the VAT was due through a compensation
system to offset debts between Member States.

This proposal would obviously be a significant simplification for traders, who would be able to recover
VAT paid in another Member State in the same way as national VAT.

Although this proposal has received the full support of traders and a favourable opinion from the
European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee, unanimous agreement has not
yet been reached within the Council.

(1) Eighth Council Directive 79/1072/EEC of 6 December 1979 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States
relating to turnover taxes (cid:1) arrangements for the refund of value added tax to taxable persons not established in
the territory of the country, OJ L 331, 27.12.1979.

(2) OJ C 219, 15.7.1998.