WRITTEN QUESTION No. 235/98 by José SALAFRANCA SÁNCHEZ- NEYRA to the Commission. NGOs in Cuba
17. 7. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 223/145 (98/C 223/190) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0235/98 by Jose· Salafranca Sa·nchez-Neyra (PPE) to the Commission (13 February 1998) Subject: NGOs in Cuba Could the Commission provide a list of the European non-governmental organizations which operated in Cuba in the course of 1997? Is the Commission planning to make any changes in 1998? Answer given by Mr Mar ·n on behalf of the Commission (18 March 1998) The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which operated in Cuba with Commission funding in the course of 1997 were Gruppo Volontariato Civile (Italy), Oikos (Portugal), Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (Italy), Caritas (Germany), Erikshja¤lpen (Sweden), Medicos del Mundo (Spain), Asociacio·n para la Cooperacio·n con el Sur-Las Segovias (Spain), Save the Children Fund (United Kingdom), Me·decins du Monde (France), Croix Rouge (Germany), Nuevo Futuro (Spain), MPDL (Spain), Agro Accio·n Alemana (Germany), Asociacio·n para la participacio·n al Desarrollo (Spain), Care (France), Brot fu¤r die Welt (Germany), MSF (Netherlands), Monimbo (Germany). During recent years, Community cooperation with Cuba has, firstly, focused on expanding the range of activities of the NGOs by assigning them a major role in the implementation of humanitarian aid and food and development aid, and by carrying out systematic checks to ensure improvements in their working conditions. Secondly, in accordance with the criteria set out by the Council in the Common Position of 2 December 1996, the Commission has made provision for the funding of projects additional to the global plan (microprojects), intended for vulnerable sections of the population not covered by Cubaís network of healthcare, such as elderly people living alone, women bringing up children on their own and those living in extreme poverty. These projects are carried out in cooperation with independent local NGOs, such as Caritas Cuba, and are designed to strengthen the role of civil society in Cuba. The Community plans to continue working along these lines in 1998. Under the IVth global plan of humanitarian aid, covering a period of eight months, it is planned to keep to roughly the same number of NGOs during 1998. Areas such as protection of the environment and disaster prevention might also afford European NGOs new operational opportunities. (98/C 223/191) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0243/98 by Outi Ojala (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (13 February 1998) Subject: Use of primates in animal experiments Primates such as chimpanzees are similar to humans in many respects, and for this reason are widely used in scientific experiments. Primates are used, for example, in research relating to neurology, infectious diseases, toxicology and vaccination. The experiments cause these animals, with their highly developed nervous system and intelligence, a great deal of stress, and for this reason the experiments are extremely dubious from an ethical point of view. Moreover, the conditions in laboratories are often very unsatisfactory for primates: their living areas are too small and their opportunities for social contact and varied activity are limited. In the EU over 10 000 primates are used every year for research purposes like those outlined above, and unlike other experimental animals, their numbers have not fallen but rather risen