WRITTEN QUESTION E-1072/04 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. Commemoration in the town of Greccio of the first crib featuring live animals.
Date: 2004-04-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, EU sponsorship, Latium, commemoration, cultural cooperation, cultural event, religion

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/939

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 April 2004)

The Commission remains deeply concerned at the current situation in the North Caucasus. There are
continued reports of human rights abuses in Chechnya and reprisals against civilians by Russian armed
forces and their Chechen allies, as well as rebels.

The implementation of shared values in the fields of democracy and human rights underpin the EU-Russia
Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation and are central elements in the EU-Russia partnership. This
has been underlined in the Commission Communication on relations with Russia of 9 February 2004 (1),
as well as in the Council Conclusions of 23 February 2004. The Commission believes that it is essential to
hold an open and frank dialogue with Russia on these issues.

The Commission promotes respect for human rights and democracy in Russia through a number of
projects that are financed under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights. These activities
are implemented in cooperation with civil society and international organisations. The Tacis programme is
there is a specific joint programme between the
also active in this domain.
Commission and the Council of Europe to promote pluralist democracy and the rule of
law. The
Commission will also continue to press Russia to adequately investigate all allegations of human rights
abuses in a prompt, independent and impartial manner. Those responsible should be prosecuted. Russia
should also permit publication of the Council of Europe report on torture in Chechnya and allow the
United Nations (UN) rapporteurs on torture and on summary executions to report on the situation.

In North Caucasus,

The Commission will continue to raise the issue of respect for human rights in appropriate international
fora and within the framework of the EU’s political dialogue with Russia, such as in the meeting of the
EU-Russia Ministerial Troika in Dublin on 14 April 2004 and the EU-Russia Summit in Moscow in May
2004.

(1) COM(2004) 106 final.

(2004/C 84 E/1037)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1072/04

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(6 April 2004)

Subject: Commemoration in the town of Greccio of the first crib featuring live animals

Greccio, a town in the province of Rieti twinned with Bethlehem, is famous all over the world for the
commemoration of the first crib featuring live animals, devised by St Francis in 1223. Since 1973 the local
tourist board has committed itself to publicising and preserving this unique historic cultural event. As a
result of the work done over the years interest in the event has increased considerably. It involves more
than one thousand people in period costume and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world.

The whole initiative is designed to promote the dissemination of culture and traditions across borders,
which is one of the objectives of the ‘Culture 2000’ programme.

In view of this, can the Commission say:

1. what measures or programmes are envisaged to fund this kind of initiative in the context of ‘Culture

2000’;

2. whether the sector is included in the priorities for 2004;

3. whether this kind of event might be funded via other programmes, in addition to ‘Culture 2000’;

4. whether the Commission itself might sponsor the initiative?

C 84 E/940

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2004)

The Culture 2000 programme was established in order to encourage artistic and cultural cooperation in
Europe and to work towards creating a common cultural area. It supports projects which have a European
dimension in terms of their design, organisation and realisation. Accordingly, this programme awards
funding to cultural cooperation projects run jointly by European partners in all artistic and cultural fields
(the performing arts, fine arts, literature, heritage, cultural history, etc.).

A call for proposals is published every year to invite the submission of cultural cooperation projects to
begin the following year. The call for proposals for projects beginning in 2004 was thus published in
August 2003, with submission deadlines of 30 October and 14 November 2003, depending on the type of
project. The call for proposals for projects beginning in 2005 should be published in the first half of 2004.
The Commission has not set any specific priorities for this call for proposals.

In addition to the Culture 2000 programme, many other Community actions support cultural activities,
e.g. the Structural Funds, as seen in a Commission working paper which was recently completed and is
available on the Europa website at
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/
the following address:
index_en.html). The town of Greccio, however, is not eligible for assistance from the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2000-2006 programming exercise.

With regard to sponsorship, the criteria of a European dimension and a European element must be
fulfilled. The Commission would be happy to examine any application for sponsorship submitted by the
town of Greccio. However, sponsorship involves moral support which does not entail any financial
obligation for the Commission, and no assumptions should be made on this basis concerning the outcome
of any application for funding which may be submitted.

(2004/C 84 E/1038)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1082/04

by Adeline Hazan (PSE) to the Commission

(1 April 2004)

Subject: Decision taken by the Netherlands to expel more than 26 000 whose applications for asylum have

been rejected

In the light of the decision taken by the Netherlands to expel several thousand asylum-seekers whose
applications have been dismissed:

1. Does not that decision breach the principle of non-refoulement because of the situation currently
obtaining in the countries of origin of a number of asylum-seekers (Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, etc.)?

It would appear that some of the people denied asylum meet the Geneva Convention criteria and may
not be expelled to their countries of origin, where they might be killed.

2. Must we not take the view that Article 47 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
Union has been breached, in so far as the rejected asylum-seekers are being expelled immediately after
the first notification that their application has been rejected and (since, accordingly, measures should
be taken to review their cases) although they should have the right to lodge an appeal against that
decision?

It seems that the applications from a large number of asylum-seekers were not given fair consideration
between 1993 and 1998 (because of what is known as the 48-hour AC procedure, which did not
allow the asylum-seekers to submit evidence which they had obtained subsequently).

3.

Should we not condemn the use by the Netherlands Government of the English words ‘deport’ and
‘deportation centre’? The use of such words seems at the very least inappropriate or unsuitable in this
context.