WRITTEN QUESTION E-3256/03 by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission. New attack by Hanoi on freedom of religion.
Date: 2003-11-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Viet Nam, cooperation agreement (EU), dissidence, freedom of religious beliefs, human rights, political violence, right to justice

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/245

Is the Commission prepared to take the initiative of extending multiple use to the extent that can
5.
now be shown to be responsible practice, thereby helping to reduce the soaring costs of healthcare,
without reducing the quality of service to the patient or over-stretching health-care workers?

Source: ‘De Morgen’ (Belgium), for 17 October 2003.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 2003)

The Commission would like to refer the Honourable Member to the background information contained in
the answer given to written question E-3177/03 of Mrs Corbey (1).

1.
No The Commission would consider that the question whether or not particular devices could be
re-used depends entirely on the question whether health is sufficiently protected. The issue of re-use of
single use devices is not specific to the introduction of the medical devices directive, and is subject of
debate in other countries as well, such as the United States, Australia and Canada.

2.
The Commission is aware that re-use of single use medical devices takes place. Some Member States
have either regulation or guidance on the re-use of single use medical devices. It has no knowledge of
detailed market data.

3. and 4.
The Commission has no knowledge of positions taken by the European Association for
Medical Device Reprocessing (EAMDR). The Commission has been requested, and it has accepted, to meet
EAMDR.

5.
The introduction on the market of particular device categories is determined by various factors, such
as technology, health protection considerations and national reimbursement schemes, consideration of
which belongs mainly to manufacturers, health care institutions and Member States. Consequently, the
Commission sees no reason at this stage to develop an initiative to promote the marketing of reusable
devices.

(1) See page 232.

(2004/C 70 E/265)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3256/03

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(3 November 2003)

Subject: New attack by Hanoi on freedom of religion

trial,

The Vietnamese authorities have effectively placed 11 dissident monks belonging to the outlawed United
Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) under house arrest for two years. Among them is the Patriarch Thich
Huyen Quang, whose arbitrary detention has now lasted over 20 years, and his deputy Thich Quang Do,
who had supposedly been released last June. The spokesman for the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
referred to ‘breaches of the laws on national security’. In flagrant violation of international conventions,
Vietnamese law allows local authorities to place people under ‘administrative detention’ for six months to
two years, without
for breach of national security (decree 31/CP of 1997 on ‘administrative
detention’). The repression of the UBCV followed the election of 41 monks (including the 11 arrested) to
key positions in the UBCV at its assembly on 1 October 2003 at the Nguyen Thieu Pagoda (province of
Binh Dinh), and the departure of the Patriarch Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Quang Do for Ho Chi Minh
City. The Vietnamese security services held up their convoy for over 10 hours, after which they forced the
Venerable Thich Huyen Quang, 86, to return to the Nguyen Thieu Pagoda, and the Venerable Thich
Quang Do, 75, to the Zen Thanh Minh monastery in Ho Chi Minh City. According to the Paris-based
International Buddhist Information Bureau (IBIB), this strong-arm police action came a few days after the
conclusion of the first extraordinary assembly of the UBCV since it was outlawed by the Communist
authorities in 1981.

C 70 E/246

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

What information does the Commission have concerning the sentence to two years’ house arrest of three
UBCV monks and the arbitrary imprisonment of eight others, including the Patriarch and his number two?
Does the Commission not agree that this further episode of repression against the heads of the UBCV by
the Vietnamese authorities demonstrates the dishonesty of the Vietnamese authorities and their lack of real
will to guarantee the right to the freedom of religion and to proceed to the legalisation of the UBCV? Does
the Commission not agree that this situation demands an extremely firm response on its part, including
the suspension of the EU-Vietnam Cooperation Agreement? Does the Commission not agree that the
extremely serious situation in Vietnam, Laos, Burma and, albeit to a lesser extent, Cambodia, should lead it
to propose to the Council and the Parliament the appointment of an EU special representative for these
countries?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 2003)

In its fortnightly press conference on 6 November 2003, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
acknowledged that three monks are currently under administrative detention or house arrest, imposed
under Decree 31/CP, which allows for up to two years’ detention without charges or trial. The Ministry
also acknowledged that both Mr Do and Mr Quang are currently being investigated for ‘serious crimes’,
and that charges may be brought against them once the investigation is complete. The Commission does
not have specific information, at this stage, on the exact legal standing of the eight other monks, although
it seems that they remain in the custody of the Vietnamese authorities.

The Commission and Member States have repeatedly raised their concerns over the recent incidents with
the Vietnamese Government. The Union has also expressed, on several occasions, its concern over the
restrictions on the freedom of religion in Vietnam, and has called upon the Vietnamese Government to
improve upon the current state of affairs. The Commission will raise its objections to the treatment of
religious and other dissidents once again during the upcoming EU-Vietnam Joint Commission. This will
also be a subject at the forthcoming EU-Vietnam human rights dialogue meeting in Hanoi.

The Commission will continue to use all instruments at its disposal to bring about improvements in the
human rights situation in Vietnam. One of these instruments is the Commission-Vietnam Cooperation
Programme deployed under the bilateral Cooperation Agreement, which includes programmes that aim to
improve governance, the rule of law and access to justice in the country.

The Commission is of the opinion that the appointment of an EU special representative would not bring a
significant added value to the existing human rights dialogues with the countries concerned. Furthermore,
the Commission supports existing United Nations (UN) special mechanisms already in place to address
some of the international concerns in the region (i.e. UN special envoy for Burma/Myanmar; UN special
rapporteurs).

(2004/C 70 E/266)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3261/03

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(4 November 2003)

Subject: Allergic reactions to the eating of Quorn

Quorn is a meat substitute produced from Fusarium venenatum, a mould. It is marketed in various forms
by Marlow Foods. At the end of May the BBC website contained a report (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/
health/2949510.stm) on research in which Swiss and German doctors describe the case of a man who
suffered severe allergic reactions after eating Quorn. The American consumer organisation CSPI (Center for
Science in the Public Interest) also claims to have received some 600 complaints from people who have