WRITTEN QUESTION E-3382/03 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Kidnapping of a Médecins Sans Frontières volunteer.
Date: 2003-11-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Russia, illegal restraint, non-governmental organisation, public safety

C 88 E/142

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

In order to support the decommissioning efforts and to address the consequences of the closure and
decommissioning the Community has provided, through financing decisions up to 2003:

(cid:1) Slovakia: EUR 90 million;

(cid:1) Lithuania: EUR 210 million;

(cid:1) Bulgaria: EUR 158,75 million.

Regarding the post-accession period, Lithuania will receive,
from 2004 to 2006, additional financial
assistance for decommissioning, to an amount of EUR 285 million. The Union, furthermore, took a
commitment to continue to provide adequate additional Community assistance to Lithuania’s decom-
missioning effort also after 2006.

Regarding Slovakia, financial assistance for 2004 to 2006 amounts to EUR 90 million. The Union
acknowledges that the decommissioning process will have to continue beyond 2006 and that this effort
represents for Slovakia a significant
financial burden. Decisions on the continuation of Community
assistance in this field after 2006 will take this situation into account.

Regarding Bulgaria, the EUR 158,75 million already programmed could be increased to EUR 200 million
subject to the authorisation of the Budgetary Authority. Moreover, at the occasion of the provisional
closure of the Energy Chapter, in which Bulgaria committed to the closure of units 3 and 4 in 2006, the
Union expressed its
to give consideration to further assistance. A Euratom loan of
EUR 212,5 million, for the modernisation of units 5 and 6, is part of the assistance package.

readiness

The bulk of the assistance provided is channelled through special decommissioning funds administered by
the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and to which other donors contribute.

The rules of the three International Decommissioning Support Funds contain explicit provisions as regards
the conditionality of these programmes to the respect of the closure commitments taken.

In the Union, the operators of nuclear plants set aside provisions for covering the future costs of
decommissioning and management of related radioactive wastes. These provisions are typically raised by
taking a percent from the price of the energy sold. Decommissioning costs are therefore included in the
generation costs of the electricity produced. The modifications to the plants that result from safety
requirements are in general treated as an investment, and as such are subject to the financial rules of each
country.

(2004/C 88 E/0150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3382/03

by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Kidnapping of a Médecins Sans Frontières volunteer

(17 November 2003)

Arian Erkel, the head of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) mission in the Caucuses was kidnapped by
three armed men in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on 12 August 2003. MSF has had no news of
him since then, nor has it received any demands or any call for a ransom. Dr Erkel is the fourth MSF
volunteer to be kidnapped in the Northern Caucuses since 1996. 56 humanitarian workers have been
kidnapped in this region since 1995. Around 200 000 people (approximately 20 % of the population) have
died since the initial conflict began in 1994, while another 300 000 have been forced to flee either to
camps set up on Chechen territory or to those in Ingushetia. This umpteenth kidnapping of a
humanitarian worker testifies to the insecurity in which they have to operate and the risks run by all
those who want to provide aid to civilian populations but work in areas where violence is a fact of daily
life and no respect is shown for humanitarian actions. In view of this disastrous and distressing situation:

1. What can the Commission do to come to the aid of Dr Erkel.

2. What action will the Commission take to enable independent humanitarian organisations to work in
safety, to guarantee them access to civilian populations, both in Chechnya and in the neighbouring regions
flooded with refugees, and to ensure that negotiations are reopened?

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/143

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 December 2003)

The Commission is deeply concerned for the welfare of Mr Erkel, who was working on a European
time he was kidnapped in Dagestan.
Humanitarian Aid Office
The Commission has on numerous occasions (cid:1) including at
in Rome on
the EU/Russia Summit
6 November 2003 (cid:1) asked for the help of Russia in gaining the early release of Mr Erkel.

(ECHO)-funded project at

the

the extremely poor security conditions which exist

The Commission (cid:1) via ECHO (cid:1) is the largest donor of humanitarian aid in the north Caucasus. It is
aware of
for humanitarian workers, notably in
Chechnya itself. In this regard, the Commission has repeatedly called on the Russian authorities to facilitate
the provision of humanitarian aid (cid:1) by facilitating access of humanitarian workers to Chechnya, by
providing non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with access to United Nations very high frequency
(UN VHF) communications, by ensuring security for aid workers and by allowing ECHO to open an office
in Nazran, Ingushetia. It regrets that Russia has not yet taken concrete measures to do so. On the contrary,
the system of access permits to Chechnya has become even more opaque than before and high insecurity
continues to prevail.

The Commission will continue to use political dialogue meetings to call on the Russian authorities to
improve the security and access situation in the north Caucasus.

(2004/C 88 E/0151)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3399/03

by Olle Schmidt (ELDR) to the Commission

(17 November 2003)

Subject: Azerbaijan

Presidential elections were recently held in Azerbaijan, which were followed by riots and political unrest.
The new president, Ilham Aliyev, son of the former president, has already cracked down hard on any form
large numbers of refugees,
of opposition. Azerbaijan is a country beset by a great many problems;
a ravaged environment and conflicts with its neighbours. At the same time, there are great riches to be
exploited in the form of oil, which attracts interest in the region from many quarters, including the USA
and the European Union. However, this economic interest must not lead us to turn a blind eye to the
mismanagement of the country. Azerbaijan is in great need of reform and reconstruction, which is entirely
possible with the anticipated revenue from oil. However, current events indicate that the country is more
likely to become the fiefdom of the Aliyev clan, where progress towards democracy and improving living
conditions do not come top of the agenda.

Will the Commission therefore say what steps are being taken to ensure that advances are made towards
democracy in Azerbaijan at the same time as economic cooperation progresses? Has the EU attached any
conditions to investment etc., such as linkage to progress on democracy, human rights, the situation of
refugees and using the country’s oil revenue for the good of the people as a whole?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 December 2003)

The Commission has been assisting Azerbaijan make the transition to a democratic society based on a free
market economy since 1992 with its technical assistance and other aid programmes. Currently these
assistance programmes have poverty reduction and government reform as their principal objectives.
The Government of Azerbaijan has recently started to implement
its State Programme for Poverty
Reduction and Economic Development (SPRED). The Programme has been welcomed by the International
Financing Institutions and the wider donor community. The Spred provides the framework for all donor
assistance in Azerbaijan. Only by addressing the fundamental and underlying problems will the progress to
democracy and a free market economy be achieved.