WRITTEN QUESTION E-2628/03 by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission. Follow-up on the Resolution on sexual violence against women, particularly Catholic nuns adopted by the European Parliament on 5 April 2001.
Date: 2003-09-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Catholicism, EP resolution, EU relations, Holy See, international relations, judicial cooperation, sexual violence, woman

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/121

Lastly, the Commission aims to continue its support for Member States to implement forest fire prevention
measures. These measures were previously coordinated and financed by Council Regulation (EEC)
No 2158/92 (2), which expired on 31 December 2002. In future, prevention measures in this field will be
supported under Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/99 (3) on rural development. The forest fire information
system will be part of the ‘Forest Focus’ Regulation, which is still under political debate.

(1) Council Decision 2001/792/EC, Euratom of 23 October 2001 establishing a Community mechanism to facilitate

reinforced cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions, OJ L 297, 15.11.2001.

(2) Council Regulation (EEC) No 2158/92 of 23 July 1992 on protection of the Community’s forests against fire,

OJ L 217, 31.7.1992.

(3) Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 of 17 May 1999 on support for rural development from the European
Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and amending and repealing certain Regulations, OJ L 160,
26.6.1999.

(2004/C 70 E/123)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2628/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 September 2003)

Subject: Follow-up on the ‘Resolution on sexual violence against women, particularly Catholic nuns’

adopted by the European Parliament on 5 April 2001

On 5 April 2001 the European Parliament adopted a ‘Resolution on sexual violence against women,
particularly Catholic nuns’ (B5-0261, 0272, 0280 and 0298/2001) (1), which referred, among other things,
to the following:

(a)

the report in the US periodical the National Catholic Reporter indicating that a large number of
Catholic nuns had been raped by priests in at least 23 countries;

(b) confirmation by the Holy See that it was aware of cases of rape and sexual abuse of women, including
nuns, by Catholic priests, because at least five reports on this subject had been submitted to the
Vatican since 1994, and according to those reports many of the nuns raped were also compelled to
have abortions or resign, and in some cases became infected with HIV/AIDS.

In adopting the resolution, the European Parliament called:

(a)

for those responsible for those crimes to be arrested and brought to justice;

(b) on the judicial authorities of the 23 countries cited in the reports to ensure that all appropriate

judicial action was taken to establish the truth about the cases of violence against women;

(c) on the Holy See to take all allegations of sexual abuse within its organisations seriously, to cooperate

with the judicial authorities and to remove the perpetrators from office;

(d) on the Holy See to reinstate those female officials who had been removed from their posts for
drawing their supervisors’ attention to such abuses and to afford the victims the necessary protection
from and compensation for any discrimination which might ensue;

(e)

for the content of the five reports cited by the National Catholic Reporter to be published in full; and

C 70 E/122

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

(f)

the Council of Europe,

instructed its President to forward the resolution to the Council, the Commission, the authorities of
the Holy See,
the United Nations Human Rights Commission and the
Governments of Botswana, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana,
India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua-New Guinea, the Philippines, South Africa,
Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Tonga, the United States of America, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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

(cid:1) what initiatives were taken subsequent to the forwarding of the resolution;

(cid:1) whether contacts were established with the Holy See and the Governments of Ireland and Italy and

what the outcome of these was;

(cid:1) whether the European Parliament’s demands concerning those countries with links to the European

Union were formalised, and what the response was to these?

(1) OJ C 21 E, 24.1.2002, p. 353.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(28 October 2003)

The Commission continues to promote international efforts to protect women against sexual violence.
In this regard, the Commission, on behalf of the Community, and the 15 Member States have signed the
Protocol
to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,
supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.

Concerning the specific facts referred to in the written question, the Commission has approached the
Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the Union’s Institutions and has transmitted its concerns while
requesting any information relevant to the issue.

The Union’s position on the issue is therefore clear and has been articulated in international fora. It does
not fall to the Commission to take the suggested steps against the Vatican, nor to intervene as regards the
relations between Member States and the Vatican.

(2004/C 70 E/124)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2629/03

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(2 September 2003)

Subject: Eurostat affair: disappearance of documents from OLAF’s offices

According to the German weekly ‘Stern’:

(cid:1) the minutes of the hearing of a Eurostat official in May 2000 have disappeared from OLAF’s file;

(cid:1) OLAF officials pointed out in an internal report last year that OLAF had failed to take a decision to

investigate Eurostat, and also indicated that other documents had ‘vanished’.

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

(cid:1) when it was that OLAF opened the investigation into Eurostat and when it closed it, which is to say
when did it have the first ‘evidence’ relating to those persons whom it later referred to the courts?

(cid:1) whether the information provided by ‘Stern’ is correct and when and what action has been taken with

regard to the disappearance of documents from OLAF’s file?