WRITTEN QUESTION P-2302/03 by Miguel Martínez Martínez (PSE) to the Council. Murder of the young Spanish voluntary worker Ana Isabel Sánchez Torralba in Equatorial Guinea.
Date: 2003-07-08
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU national, Equatorial Guinea, democratisation, development worker, homicide, human rights, the EU's international role

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/17

How will it be possible to prevent traffickers in human beings from continuing to enrich themselves

5.
by smuggling these people from these camps into the EU by dangerous means?

6.
How is this state of affairs to be reconciled with the European Convention on the protection of
Human Rights (Council of Europe) and the 1951 Refugee Convention? Does the Council consider that
these conventions will have to be amended so that, on the basis of agreements with states which are not
(yet) EU Member States, asylum seekers can be denied the right to await the outcome of their asylum
applications on EU territory?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-2210/03 and E-2258/03

(8 March 2004)

The European Council, meeting in Thessaloniki on 19 and 20 June 2003, invited the Commission to
explore all parameters in order to ensure more orderly and managed entry into the EU for persons in need
of international protection, and to examine ways and means to enhance the protection capacity of regions
of origin with a view to presenting to the Council, before June 2004, a comprehensive report suggesting
measures to be taken, including legal implications.

As part of this process, the European Council noted that a number of Member States were planning to
explore ways of providing better protection for the refugees in their region of origin, in conjunction with
the UNHCR. It considered that this work should be carried out in full partnership with the countries
concerned on the basis of recommendations from the UNHCR.

No agreement whatsoever has been concluded between the Council and acceding countries or third
countries on this matter. As regards measures which may have been taken by individual Member States,
the Council invites the Honourable Members to address themselves directly to those Member States.

In the meantime, the Council is focusing its work on the proposals for a Council Directive on minimum
standards for the qualification and status of third-country nationals and stateless persons as refugees or as
persons who otherwise need international protection and for a Council Directive on minimum standards
on procedures in Member States for granting and withdrawing refugee status. It is recalled that the
European Council also stressed that it was vital to ensure the adoption of both proposals before the end of
2003.

(2004/C 84 E/0020)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2302/03

by Miguel Martínez Martínez (PSE) to the Council

(8 July 2003)

Subject: Murder of the young Spanish voluntary worker Ana Isabel Sánchez Torralba in Equatorial Guinea

Voluntary workers in Equatorial Guinea have now confirmed the sad news of the death of a young
Spanish woman in that country, who was killed in dramatic circumstances by Equatorial Guinean soldiers.
Ana Isabel Sánchez Torralba was 22 years old, came from Ocaña in Castilla-La Mancha and had been in
Africa for only a few days generously contributing to the solidarity-based work of
the Escolapian
Missionaries. She was travelling towards the town of Aconibe in a civilian bus with other citizens and a
couple of fellow missionaries when the vehicle was inexplicably shot at by members of the country’s
armed forces on passing a checkpoint, with fatal consequences.

This serious incident leads me, as a citizen of the same country as the young murder victim who shares
the grief and indignation of her family and friends, to put the following questions to the Council for
written answer:

(cid:1) Is the Council aware of the above facts, or will it seek the relevant information?

(cid:1) Now that the murder of this exemplary young European has been confirmed, will the Council respond
those

the Equatorial Guinean authorities

take appropriate action against

by demanding that
responsible?

C 84 E/18

Official Journal of the European Union

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3.4.2004

(cid:1) Does the Council consider it appropriate to take steps within the framework of the Partnership
Agreement with the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, to which Equatorial Guinea is a
signatory alongside the European Union, so that those governing that country with such complete
disregard for human rights and the rule of law finally receive the sanctions laid down in the above
Treaty?

Reply

(8 March 2004)

The Council takes note of the information concerning the murder of the Spanish citizen Ana Isabel
Sánchez Torralba in Equatorial Guinea. The Council regrets all acts of violence and crimes; these should be
addressed not only in relation to events affecting EU citizens, but also in general terms.

The EU is deeply concerned at the deterioration in the internal political situation in Equatorial Guinea as
regards human rights and the democratisation process. Following last year’s elections (December 2002) the
EU expressed its concern at the political development of the country and in particular at the increase in
violations of human rights. The EU urged the government and the political opposition to hold an
all-inclusive political dialogue on the process of democratisation and on the establishment of guarantees
for respect of human rights. It will continue to do so and will pursue any relevant action within the
framework of its contacts with the competent authorities to prevent and clear up situations such as the
one described by the Honourable Member in his question.

(2004/C 84 E/0021)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2373/03

by Francesco Fiori (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(16 July 2003)

Subject: Assessment of the COM in tobacco

Knowing that:

(cid:1) Regulation (EC) No 1636/98 (1) amended Article 26 of Regulation (EEC) No 2075/92 (2) on the
common organisation of the market in raw tobacco to read ‘Before 1 April 2002, the Commission
shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the functioning of the
common organisation of the market in raw tobacco’;

(cid:1) In February 2002 the Commission, by means of a tendering procedure, entrusted the company Cogea
with the task of assessing the COM in tobacco and the contract, which should have come to an end
by October 2002, is still in force;

(cid:1) Cogea submitted a complete draft of the commissioned document, although not until December 2002.

Can the Commission say:

1. what the reasons are for the serious delay in forwarding the documents to Parliament compared with

the deadline laid down and when it expects to submit the final document;

2. whether the Commission considers it has fulfilled the provisions of the regulation by sending its own
if so, why it requested a further study from an outside

document dated 8 November 2002 and,
consultant, to which it attaches great importance;

3. what competence and experience Cogea has in the tobacco sector which led to its being awarded the

contract, and what the contract itself was worth;

4. who is on the steering committee monitoring Cogea’s work and whether it is true that the members
include officials in DG-AGRI’s Tobacco Unit since, according to the call to tender, their work too is
being assessed; whether it is true that the committee, as well as checking that Cogea’s work was