WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3893/97 by Gerardo FERNÁNDEZ-ALBOR to the Commission. European Union forestry strategy
C 187/78 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 6. 98 Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (2 February 1998) Inn its opinion on the Czech Republicís application for membership of July 1997, the Commission concluded that the Czech authorities should address, among other issues, the situation of Roma in their country. In the opinions on a number of other applicant countries the Commission drew similar conclusions. The Community assists the associated countries to prepare for membership through its pre-accession strategy, in which the Phare programme plays a central role. This programme contains a number of projects which specifically address human rights questions and the situation of minorities, including Roma. The Commission will continue to closely follow the situation concerning human rights and minorities in each of the associated countries. In the case of the Czech Republic this implies also a close monitoring of the programme adopted by the Czech government on 29 October 1997 to improve the situation of Roma. At the same time the Commission will continue to assist these countries in addressing effectively the short-comings in these areas identified in the opinions through the Phare programme. (98/C 187/123) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3893/97 by Gerardo Ferna·ndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (11 December 1997) Subject: European Union forestry strategy A range of national programmes exists for extending public ownership of forests and subsidizing private owners with a view to achieving sustainable maintenance of forests. The goal is to significantly increase Europeís forestry reserves. However, we should remember that despite these good intentions, in many countries these protected forests are left to survive as best they can, since the conservation legislation provided for them is old and out of date. For that reason, the new Community forest strategy should provide incentives not only for publicly and privately owned forests, but also seek to update legislation on the conservation of protected forests at Community level. What is the current stage of consolidation with regard to the Community forestry strategy and what are the current plans for developing the future of the Communityís forests, both public and private, with regard to the conservation and extension of the area under trees? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (13 January 1998) The Commission attaches a great deal of importance to conserving and protecting the forest resources of the Community and it would like to assure the Honourable Member that this concern will play a central role in its proposals for the future forestry strategy. It is worth pointing out, however, that legislation on forests and woodland falls within the competence of the Member States. (98/C 187/124) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3894/97 by Gerardo Ferna·ndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission (11 December 1997) Subject: Commission promotion of specific studies Specific studies are extremely important in providing back-up for individual Community policies, based as the latter are on their results. Such studies, are frequently drawn up, on the basis of specific selection criteria, by bodies or groups outwith the Commission