WRITTEN QUESTION E-3249/03 by Richard Howitt (PSE), Jean Lambert (Verts/ALE)and Renate Sommer (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Annual report on Turkey.
Date: 2003-11-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community acquis, Türkiye, accession criteria, environmental impact, impact study, oil pipeline, protection of minorities

C 88 E/456

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

In view of the extreme affront which this decision represents to the memory of the 20 victims and to
members of their families, will the Commission answer the following questions:

1. Will the European Union take a stand on the seriousness of these events?

2. What power does the European Union have to investigate these facts and to show the US army in an

effective manner that it is appalled at this decision?

3. Can the European Union in any way help to ensure that those responsible for this tragedy do not go

unpunished?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 November 2003)

This matter raised by the Honourable Member is for the relevant judicial authorities in the United States
and Italy. The Commission has no grounds on which to express an opinion.

(2004/C 88 E/0467)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3247/03

by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission

(28 October 2003)

Subject: Annual report on Turkey

Will the Commission address the following urgent questions in its annual report on Turkey’s progress
towards meeting EU accession criteria due on 5 November:

Do the Host Government Agreements for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline breach the terms of
1.
Turkey’s Accession Partnership by moving away from the ‘acquis communautaire’ and the prospect of
implementing the Copenhagen criteria?

Does this project potentially infringe the human rights and minority rights of the people living along

2.
the pipeline route in Turkey, such as through the expropriation of land without proper compensation?

3. What is the potential environmental impact of the project, and has a proper environmental impact
assessment been carried out?

(2004/C 88 E/0468)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3249/03

by Richard Howitt (PSE), Jean Lambert (Verts/ALE)
and Renate Sommer (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(3 November 2003)

Subject: Annual report on Turkey

Will the Commission address the following urgent questions in its annual report on Turkey’s progress
towards meeting EU accession criteria due on 5 November:

1. Do the Host Government Agreements for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline breach the terms of
Turkey’s Accession Partnership by moving away from the ‘acquis communautaire’ and the prospect of
implementing the Copenhagen criteria?

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/457

2. Does this project potentially infringe the human rights and minority rights of the people living along
the pipeline route in Turkey, such as through the expropriation of land without proper compensation?

3. What is the potential environmental impact of the project, and has a proper environmental impact

assessment been carried out?

Joint answer
to Written Questions P-3247/03 and E-3249/03
given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(19 November 2003)

In its regular report on Turkey’s progress towards accession published on 5 November 2003 (1), the
Commission sets out its assessment of developments over the last year and the overall situation with
regard to human rights and the protection of minorities.

As regards the specific questions raised by the Honourable Member concerning the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline project, any potential violations as regards human rights or the protection of minorities arising
from the implementation of the pipeline project would have to be considered in the context of the
Copenhagen political criteria. Turkey is at this stage not bound by the environmental ‘acquis’, but the
Commission is aware that environmental impact assessments have been carried out for this project, for
example, to meet the conditions of international lending organisations.

(1) COM(2003) 676 final.

(2004/C 88 E/0469)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3253/03

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Somalia: internal situation, refugees and terrorism

(3 November 2003)

The deaths of various Somali refugees, mostly from Mogadishu, close to the Italian coast, due to hunger,
fatigue and drowning, reminds us of the thousands of Somalis who have died since 1991 in the Indian
Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. All of them were desperately fleeing a dictatorial system linked
to the Islamic fundamentalism which was responsible for the deaths of lay missionary Annalena Tonelli
and two British nationals working for SOS and is represented by terrorist organisations such as Al-Ittihad
and Al-Islah.

Interim President Salad Hassan, whose term of office expired several months ago and who, according to
the list of international terrorist organisations, is leader of Al-Islah, has left the Nairobi Conference, which
was convened over a year ago, and asked for the decisions agreed to in Nairobi by representatives of the
Somali state in the presence of
international observers to be annulled in order to hold a new
Reconciliation Conference in Mogadishu, a city which Somalis are fleeing, at the cost of their own lives.

The President of the Transitional National Government (TNG) has issued a proclamation against the Somali
leaders, who denounce ‘Muslim brothers’ accused of terrorism to the Kenyans and Americans, and has
called for the USD 8,5 million of the Al-Barakat financial network to be frozen, claiming that they are
private funds, including his own.

In Somalia there are regular murders and executions of militiamen involved in fighting fundamentalism
and terrorism. It would seem that the ‘new coalition’ in Mogadishu includes Jumale, the chairman of Al-
Barakat, who was expelled from the Arab Emirates.