WRITTEN QUESTION E-3842/03 by Marco Pannella (NI), Maurizio Turco (NI), Marco Cappato (NI),Gianfranco Dell'Alba (NI), Benedetto Della Vedova (NI)and Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission. Attacks on democracy in Mauritania.
Date: 2003-12-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Mauritania, international relations, political cooperation, political situation, rule of law

C 84 E/106

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

(2004/C 84 E/0143)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3842/03

by Marco Pannella (NI), Maurizio Turco (NI), Marco Cappato (NI),
Gianfranco Dell’Alba (NI), Benedetto Della Vedova (NI)
and Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(12 December 2003)

Subject: Attacks on democracy in Mauritania

Knowing that:

(cid:1) On 7 November 2003, presidential elections were held in Mauritania.

(cid:1) Having refused to allow any international observation, the Mauritanian authorities unilaterally set the
in contravention of the country’s own laws and in an

lack of transparency,

date with a total
atmosphere of repression.

(cid:1) According to the official results the outgoing president, Maaouyia Ould Taya (who has been in power
for 19 years), has been re-elected in the first round for a six-year period, having received two-thirds of
the votes cast.

(cid:1) The three main opposition candidates have called for the election result to be annulled and for a re-
run of an electoral process which they have described as ‘null and void’ on account of ‘widespread
rigging’ and ‘judicial violence’ against Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah (the outgoing president’s
predecessor and main rival) who, on the eve of the election, was arrested, together with the director of
his company (cid:1) the MP Ismael Ould Amar (cid:1) whom the Mauritanian authorities have stripped of his
parliamentary immunity, in contravention of the Constitution and the National Assembly’s rules.

(cid:1) In addition to Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, the following were arrested during the same month:
his family members Sidi Ahmed Ould Haidalla (known as Bazra), on the 3rd day of the month; Sidi
Mohamed Ould Haidalla, on the 4th; Yakoub Ould Haidalla, on the 9th, and Abdoulaye Barro (known
as Wazir), on the 8th; his colleagues Ely Ould Sneiba, Mohamed El-Hafedh Ould, Mohamed Vall
(known as Haba), Mohamed Yedhih Ould Breideleil and Devaly Ould Cheïne, on the 6th; Ismael Ould
Seigua, Mohamed El-Hacen Ould Lebatt and Sid’Ahmed Ould Ahmed Kerkoub, on the 9th; Sheikh El
Mokhtar Ould Horma Ould Bebana, on the 16th; Saïd Ould Elarby Ould Zergane and Sheikh Diko, on
the 17th; and the militants Mohamed Vadel Ould Radhi, Abdel Khader Ould Mohamed and (on the
13th) Mohamed Lemine Ould Bellamech.

(cid:1) Mohamed Ould Baba was taken hostage instead of his brother, Sid’ Ahmed Ould Baba.

(cid:1) Those arrested are still in custody and are being secretly detained in Beïla prison on the outskirts of
in isolation and with no rights as regards receiving visitors and meeting their own

Nouakchott,
lawyers.

(cid:1) 1 December saw the opening, by means of an emergency procedure, of the trial

involving the
detainees, who stand accused of undermining the state security and collaborating with foreign powers,
thereby exposing Mauritania to the threat of war and constitutional destabilisation.

In view of the EU-Mauritania relations which the Community supports financially by means of aid
amounting to EUR 104 million over the 2001-2007 period (even though it gets nothing in return by way
of respect for basic human rights or the upholding of constitutional government and democracy), would
the Commission say whether it is aware of the facts set out above? What action does it intend to take in
this connection?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(19 February 2004)

The Commission is concerned, as are the Honourable Members, at political developments in Maruitania.
It is perfectly aware of the facts set out and is monitoring the situation very closely. The Commission has
always been in favour of stepping up political dialogue with the Mauritanian authorities in order to make
them aware of the importance the EU attaches to issues surrounding respect for the rule of law. It will
hold a structured political dialogue with the Government, together with the Member States, under Article 8
of the Cotonou Agreement, to enable it to raise such issues.

3.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/107

Under the country strategy for Mauritania for 2002-2007, the second focal sector for aid is capacity-
building and, in particular, strengthening the rule of law, democracy and the organisation of civil society,
whose means of expression are sometimes limited.

(2004/C 84 E/0144)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3865/03

by Marie Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Balearic Islands Sectoral Roads Masterplan

(9 December 2003)

The Consell Insular de Mallorca is seeking to push through with a new Roads Plan under the name
‘Specific Amendment of the Balearic Islands Sectoral Roads Masterplan’ adopted by Decree 87/1998 of
16 October.

The proposed amendment, which will be adopted on 1 December 2003 in the Consell Insular de Mallorca,
provides for building the Inca-Manacor motorway.

The environmental impact of this scheme is massive. At certain points, the Inca-Manacor section infringes
on areas which are designated as protected natural species.

The proposed amendment, furthermore, is not backed up by adequate reports on its social justification. It is
based exclusively on traffic density and speed reports, ignoring other issues such as mobility studies or
studies of alternatives. Nor does it include studies of the repercussions of the opening of the Palma-
Manacor railway link, which will reduce the road traffic concerned. The absence of all these studies is very
serious, because the need for the scheme has not been demonstrated. In fact, the Inca-Manacor motorway
link will be longer and more expensive than doubling the width of the current road, a perfectly good
alternative solution.

The new Roads Plan which the Consell Insular is intending to adopt has been the subject of much social
dispute, with 23 000 complaints lodged (cid:1) and ignored without any serious account being taken of
possible alternatives. There is real concern that the environmental impact assessment, which will be carried
out once the new Roads Plan is adopted, will not assess the alternatives either.

Does the Commission not believe that the line of the Inca-Manacor motorway provided for in the ‘Specific
Amendment of the Sectoral Road Masterplan’ should be subjected to an environmental assessment which
studies all the real alternatives, including doubling the width of the existing road, and encouraging more
sustainable modes of transport?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(3 February 2004)

The Honourable Member refers to an amendment of ‘Specific Amendment of the Balearic Islands Sectoral
Roads Masterplan’ adopted by Decree 87/1998 of 16 October 2003 that the Consell Insular de Mallorca
will adopt on 1 December 2003 and that includes a proposal
for new Roads Plan. The proposed
amendment provides for the building of
the Inca-Manacor motorway. A similar written question
E-3346/03 was already posed by Mr Miquel Mayol i Raynal (1).

At present, there is no provision in Environmental Impact Assessment Community law which requires
Member States to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of their draft plans or programmes,
or of proposed modifications. The position will change on 21 July 2004, the date by which Member States
must complete their transposition of Directive 2001/42/EC (the so-called SEA Directive (2)), which is not
applicable to plans and programmes co-financed under the current respective programming periods for
Council Regulations (EC) No 1260/1999 (3) and (EC) No 1257/1999 (4). Thereafter, Member States will
have to carry out an environmental assessment of plans and programmes which meet the definition in the
Directive. The environmental report that forms part of the environmental assessment procedure should