WRITTEN QUESTION E-0005/04 by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission. Persecution of Uighur Organisations based in the European Union.
Date: 2004-01-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: China, EU relations, dissidence, human rights, international relations, political cooperation, political violence, the EU's international role

C 78 E/912

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission

(17 February 2004)

The Commission takes note of the information which the Honourable Member submitted concerning
possible aid in favour of the company Eftec. According to this information, the company is receiving
grants of SEK 30 million over a six-year period for an expansion of its factory in Rhigos, Aberdare.
The Honourable Member indicated that this aid is granted in connection with the company’s relocation
from Hässleholm (Sweden) to Wales.

The Directorate-General for Competition of the Commission will carry out the necessary investigations in
connection with the information that the Honourable Member has provided in order to establish whether
the project in question involves any State aid incompatible with the competition rules of the EC Treaty.
It will inform the Honourable Member of the outcome as soon as possible.

(2004/C 78 E/0964)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4087/03

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 January 2004)

Subject: Data Protection Supervisor

When will the Commission appoint a Data Protection Supervisor, when will he/she take office, and when
will the Commission expect this person to provide an independent assessment regarding the release of
information relevant to the dispute between the Commission, the European Ombudsman and Parliament
in the matter of the Bavarian Lager Company?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(18 February 2004)

In accordance with Article 42 of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 (1), the Parliament and the Council appoint
by common accord the European Data Protection Supervisor and the Assistant Supervisor. That
appointment took place on 22 December 2003 (2), and as a result, Mr Peter Hustinx and Mr Joaquím
Bayo Delgado have been nominated repectively as European Data Protection Supervisor and Assistant
Supervisor. They have taken office in early February 2004.

According to Article 41 of the above-mentioned Regulation, the European Data Protection Supervisor is a
fully independent supervisory authority. It is, therefore, not for the Commission to determine which
activities that authority should conduct or the timeframe to address them.

(1) Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 on the
protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies
and on the free movement of such data, OJ L 8, 12.1.2001.

(2) Decision 2004/55/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 22 December 2003 appointing the independent
supervisory body provided for in Article 286 of the EC Treaty (European Data Protection Supervisor), OJ L 12,
17.1.2004.

(2004/C 78 E/0965)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0005/04

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(16 January 2004)

Subject: Persecution of Uighur Organisations based in the European Union

The Government of the People’s Republic of China has just published a wanted list of ethnic Uighur
‘terrorists’ abroad, and has called for their arrest and extradition in a renewed attempt to curb the political
activities of Uighur activists outside China by branding their political activities as ‘terrorism’, thus garnering

27.3.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/913

international support for its ongoing crackdown in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
The official document published by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security listed four Uighur groups as
‘terrorist organisations’. They include the World Uighur Youth Congress (WUYC) and the East Turkistan
Information Center (ETIC). Both are political groups based in Germany, publicise reports of ongoing
abuses against Uighurs in China and advocate self-determination for the region. The statement also listed
11 individuals as alleged ‘terrorists’, including the presidents of WUYC and ETIC. All are living abroad and
the Chinese authorities have called on other states to arrest and extradite them to China.

The Chinese authorities continue to make little or no distinction between violent opposition and the
peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression, association and religion. China considers any
advocacy of greater autonomy or independence as ‘ethnic separatism’, which qualifies as a State Security
crime under Chinese laws. Several hundred Uighurs accused of involvement in such activities have been
executed since the mid-1990s, thousands of others have been detained and imprisoned after unfair trials
and torture, and growing restrictions have been placed on the Islamic clergy and the practice of Islam in
the region.

What action is the Commission going to take to prevent people supporting freedom and democracy in
China, be they inside the PRC or outside, from paying with torture or even their lives for their belief in the
Rule of Law and fundamental rights? Was this issue raised during the last EU-PRC summit in Beijing and if
so, what was decided both by the EU and the PRC’s authorities?’

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(17 February 2004)

The EU attaches the utmost importance to the situation of human rights throughout the world and has
made it a major element of its policy towards third countries. The right to freedom of expression,
association and religion has always been very high on the agenda of the EU-China dialogue on human
rights, most recently during the last session held in Beijing on 27/28 November 2003. This has also been
regularly addressed in the framework of the political dialogue, as was the case during the last EU-China
bilateral Summit which took place in Beijing on 30 October 2003.

The EU has consistently called the Chinese authorities to fully respect these rights, with a special emphasis
put on the rights of the minorities, especially the Uighur Community. With regard to the latter, the EU’s
long standing position has been to underline that the fight against terrorism should always be conducted
in a manner which respects human rights and that a clear distinction should be made between peaceful
expression of dissent and violent action.

Moreover the EU has, in its dialogue, also expressed concerns at ongoing reports on widespread use of
torture in China. In its view, the entry into force on 1 January 2004 of a new regulation of the Ministry of
Public Security designed to stop practices such as torture to secure confessions or investigate offences is a
welcome step whose implementation will be closely monitored. It is also to be noted that China agreed in
principle at the last session of the human rights dialogue to engage in triangular cooperation with the EU
and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on torture prevention.

These matters will again be addressed during the next session of the human rights dialogue to be held in
Dublin on 26/27 February 2004.