WRITTEN QUESTION P-2262/03 by Mario Mastella (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Serious political, social and economic crisis in Venezuela.
Date: 2003-07-01
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU national, EU relations, Venezuela, economic situation, political crisis, public safety, referendum

C 88 E/396

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(8 August 2003)

The September 1997 Council Resolution on Belarus concluded that the EC and their Member States would
conclude neither the interim agreement nor the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with Belarus and
that implementation of Community and Member states technical assistance programmes would be halted,
except
the
democratisation process.

in the case of humanitarian or

those which directly support

regional projects or

The Commission is certainly concerned by the application of the law ‘On liberty of conscience and
religious organisations’ in Belarus. The Union has expressed these concerns in the Organisation on Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The Commission would like to reiterate that it attaches great importance to the rights of freedom of
religion, belief and expression. The Union has repeatedly affirmed that human rights and democratisation
must form an integral part of all political dialogues with third countries. Religious freedom, as one of the
fundamental human rights, as well as the rights of religious minorities are thus addressed through the EUs
bilateral political dialogues, and, when appropriate, through démarches and public declarations, as well as
through Union action in fora such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights or the Third
Committee of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Commission remains committed to supporting freedom of religion and Human Rights in Belarus, in
close co-operation with Member States, the Council of Europe, OSCE and the United Nations and will
continue to raise the issue with Belarus in all possible fora.

(2004/C 88 E/0402)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2262/03

by Mario Mastella (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(1 July 2003)

Subject: Serious political, social and economic crisis in Venezuela

Considering that:

(cid:1) the political crisis in Venezuela is dragging that country into a very serious economic and social crisis.
On top of a two-month old general strike, imports to a country reliant on the outside world for
almost all types of good have been paralysed for over 130 days now, and the government has adopted
exchange rate control as a political weapon to punish everyone participating in the strike;

(cid:1) thousands of companies have closed down and unemployment has increased to 26 %, to add to a rate

of 56 % employment in the hidden economy;

(cid:1) as from 19 August 2003, it will be possible for a recall referendum to be held, on the basis of the
Venezuelan constitution and the agreement signed between the government and the Democratic
Coordination, and with mediation by the OAS, to end the President’s term of office. The Venezuelan
Government is contriving to delay and delegitimize this by every means possible;

(cid:1) moreover, with a view to forthcoming elections, the government is granting citizenship to Cubans,

Chinese, and Colombians;

(cid:1) venezuela is home to millions of EU citizens and their descendants, who are the lifeblood of the SME
sector that has been throttled by economic measures and whose safety is endangered by the increase
in violence that has resulted in 50 deaths during demonstrations and in 25 murders a day owing to
the general chaos and absence of the rule of law.

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/397

In the light of the above, could the Commission indicate:

1. what action it will take to protect European citizens in Venezuela and to avert their potential return

migration;

2. whether it is considering any form of action to address the unconstitutional measures and human

rights violations of which the present Venezuelan Government stands accused;

3. whether the European Union plans to send international observers to Venezuela to ensure that the

referendum is conducted lawfully and reflects the opinions of the inhabitants of that country?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(30 July 2003)

The Commission is closely following the political situation in Venezuela. The Union has fully supported
the Organisation of American States, together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and
the Carter Centre in the tripartite working group, and the Group of Friends, in their efforts to facilitate a
national dialogue. The Union, in several Declarations, has emphasised the need for a peaceful, democratic,
constitutional and electoral solution. In its last Declaration of 5 June 2003, the Union welcomed the
Venezuelan Government and opposition’s signing of a political agreement on 29 May 2003 and called
upon all parties to proceed without delay to the necessary follow-up needed to implement the Agreement.
It also stressed that the Union stands ready to assist in the implementation of the Agreement, which
comprises support for an electoral solution, investigation of the events of April 2002, and disarming the
civilian population.

In order to do so, the Commission signed a project to assist the Organisation of American States in its
efforts to implement the Agreement. The amount budgeted is EUR 600 000.

In the event that an electoral consultation takes place, the Commission is ready to consider a possible
Election Observation. The final decision on whether to send an Election Observation Mission would be
made on the basis of receiving an invitation from the Venezuelan authorities which could open up the
possibility for a possible Exploratory Mission which would assess whether an Union observation is
advisable, useful and feasible.

No specific actions to protect Union citizens in Venezuela have been taken at the Union level. Their
protection and support is normally ensured by their Member States of origin.

(2004/C 88 E/0403)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2286/03

by Ozan Ceyhun (PSE) to the Commission

(7 July 2003)

Subject: Customs regulations at the Serbia and Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) border

I have received a fax from the Consul-General of the Republic of Turkey in Frankfurt drawing attention to
border and entry regulations in Serbia and Montenegro (former Yugoslavia). This information relates to
Turkish citizens legally resident in the Union and EU citizens of Turkish extraction. I subsequently read an
article on the subject in the Turkish newspaper ‘Millyet’. The newspaper reported that, under these
regulations, foreign citizens travelling to Serbia and Montenegro are required to declare the amount of
foreign currency they are carrying to the customs office if that amount exceeds EUR 2 000. Otherwise, the
authorities of Serbia and Montenegro withhold the amount in excess of EUR 2 000 on their departure from
the country. Around EUR 1 million have been withheld in this way from more than 190 Turkish citizens
who were travelling to Turkey over land through Serbia and Montenegro. Refunding the money is reported
to take between two and five years, owing to the lengthy bureaucratic and legal procedures. Oral
declarations on sums of money exceeding EUR 2 000 are not accepted. It is compulsory to fill out written
declaration forms.

Does the Commission have any information regarding this problem? We would request the Commission’s
assistance in finding a solution. What steps is the Commission prepared to take in order to resolve this
problem?