WRITTEN QUESTION E-0331/04 by Miet Smet (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Setting up of a regional coordination centre for social policy for the Balkans.
Date: 2004-02-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU office or agency, European social policy, Western Balkans, administrative expenditure (EU), cooperation policy, powers of the institutions (EU), seat of institution

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/773

(2004/C 84 E/0869)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0328/04

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

(10 February 2004)

Subject: Chinese New Year parade in Paris

On the occasion of the Chinese New Year parade in Paris, held on 24 January 2004, the mayor of the city
and its police bureau refused to allow the French Falun Gong Association to take part in the parade.

The French Falun Gong Association asked to take part in the parade with performances of the Lion Dance,
Chinese drummers, traditional dancing and decorated floats. Less than a week before the event, the City
Hall refused the application due to bureaucratic problems linked to the registration date. The truth is that
the documents were sent on time, back in October. Moreover, the French Falun Gong Association was not
given authorisations for other activities during the festivity it had applied for, such as performing
traditional Falun Gong exercises, and handing out information.

It seems that the Chinese Embassy threatened to cancel all of the festivities if the City of Paris allowed
Falun Gong to participate. Other non-official voices, which the Chinese authorities have repressed, have
also met with similar obstacles.

Is the Commission aware of the facts of what happened in Paris last week?

What does the Commission intend to do in order to avoid similar cases occurring again on EU territory?

Does the Commission intend to speak to the French Government, the City Hall of Paris and the Chinese
Ambassadors to France and the EU,
freedom of expression and
demonstration are basic human rights clearly protected by Article 6 of the TEU?

to remind them that

in order

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(6 April 2004)

The EC Treaty and the Treaty on European Union do not confer on the Community any general powers as
regards fundamental rights. The Commission is entitled to act only where such rights have been violated in
the course of applying Community law, which is not the case with the events referred to by the
Honourable Members.

As a general point, the Commission would like to stress that it regularly brings up the cases of individual
Falun Gong members whose fundamental rights have not been respected as a result of their belonging to
that organisation as part of the EU-China dialogue on human rights, most recently at the session held in
Dublin on 26/27 February 2004.

(2004/C 84 E/0870)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0331/04

by Miet Smet (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 February 2004)

Subject: Setting up of a regional coordination centre for social policy for the Balkans

Some considerable time ago the Commission announced the setting up, or joint setting up, of a regional
coordination centre for social policy in the Balkans. The establishment of the centre was scheduled for
spring 2004.

C 84 E/774

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

What is the situation as regards the establishment of this regional social policy coordination centre for
countries in south-eastern Europe?

In particular:

(cid:1) how far have preparations for setting up the centre come;

(cid:1) what is the scheduled date for its activities to begin;

(cid:1) where will the centre be;

(cid:1) what staff and financial resources will be assigned to the coordination centre;

(cid:1) what are the centre’s tasks;

(cid:1) what partners will be involved in the setting up and operation of the centre;

(cid:1) how will the countries in the region be involved in the setting up and operation of the centre?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(16 March 2004)

The establishment of a regional co-ordination centre for social policy is envisaged as a continuation of the
project: ‘Strengthening Social Cohesion by promoting Coordination of National Social Security Schemes in
South Eastern Europe (SEE)’ under the auspices of the Initiative for Social Cohesion of the Stability Pact for
SEE.

The regional co-ordination centre will be financed by the 2003 CARDS regional programme (EUR 2 million
over three years) and established in close co-operation with the Council of Europe (co-financing
EUR 200 000). The overall project implies more than the mere setting up of a regional co-ordination
centre (the location of which has not yet been decided). The objective is to share with, and propose to, the
national authorities various co-ordination instruments and to share EU ‘best practice’ in relation to matters
with trans-border implications.

The activities of the project will focus on three major areas:

(cid:1) support for co-operation on social protection reform;

(cid:1) institutional support and vocational training in the social sector;

(cid:1) support for social dialogue and information exchange, in particular regarding social and civil rights

and trans-border questions (equal treatment, export of benefits, etc.).

Preparatory work for the establishment of the centre has been on-going since September 2003 and the
terms of reference for the CARDS project are almost finished. Certain procedural details as well as the
deployment of human and budgetary resources still need to be agreed between the Commission and the
Council of Europe. However, it is envisaged that a direct agreement will soon be signed with the Council
of Europe and that the activities of the centre will start at the latest at the beginning of June 2004.

(2004/C 84 E/0871)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0334/04

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(10 February 2004)

Subject: The unchanged human rights and democracy situation in China and Hong Kong, the threat to

Taiwan and the need for the arms embargo

1.
Does the Commission agree that the main change for the better in the People’s Republic of China
since 1989 has been its rapid and often uncontrolled economic growth, which gives rise to the hope that
in future the people of China will no longer need to live in poverty?