WRITTEN QUESTION No. 837/98 by Esko SEPPÄNEN to the Commission. The content of television programmes and freedom of expression
9. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 310/137 (98/C 310/185) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0837/98 by Esko Seppa¤nen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (26 March 1998) Subject: The content of television programmes and freedom of expression There are four independent television channels in Finland, all of which are journalistically independent of the state. One of them (Oy Yleisradio Ab) has › for journalistic purposes and without sponsorship › produced a series of programmes designed to promote the sale of Finnish-made products. The Commission responded by writing a letter to the Finnish Ministry of Communications prohibiting the making of such programmes. In so doing, the Commission violated journalistic freedom of expression and interfered with the content of television programmes. Does the Commission consider that its officials acted correctly in this matter, and if so, on what EU treaty does it base its view? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (5 June 1998) The Commission is conducting a detailed investigation of the problem raised by the Honourable Member and will inform him of the outcome as soon as possible. (98/C 310/186) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0845/98 by Edith Mu¤ ller (V) to the Commission (26 March 1998) Subject: Visits by senior figures from Directorate-General IA to Bosnia-Herzegovina Directorate-General IA is responsible for various EU programmes in aid of Bosnia-Herzegovina. How often has Commissioner van den Broek been in Bosnia-Herzegovina since January 1996? How often has Director-General Burghardt been there over the same period? Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (20 April 1998) In order to lay the foundations for the actions of the Commission, the responsible member of the Commission has visited Bosnia-Herzegovina four times since the beginning of 1996 including a visit to Sarajevo with the Irish Presidency in July 1996. The responsible member of the Commission has set the framework for the services under his authority (DGIA › External relations: Europe and the New Independent States (NIS), Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and external service) to be fully involved at all levels of the relevant hierarchy. This is moreover the case not only since 1996, but equally during the five years preceding the Dayton Agreements. This has led to regular visits to Bosnia-Herzegovina as well as attendance at numerous international meetings, including the various Community led peace efforts, the Dayton negotiations themselves, of the Contact Group, and donor conferences, which the Director-General co-chaired with the Vice-President of the World Bank