WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2489/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Council. Shameless Turkish provocation aimed at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
30. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 134/9 A similar question has been raised in a case currently pending before the Court of Justice (Case C-100/96 The Queen v. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ex parte British Agrochemicals Association Ltd (2)). The Advocate General gave his conclusions in this case on 2 October 1997. No date has yet been fixed for the Courtís judgment. (1) OJ L 230, 19. 8. 1991. (2) OJ C 145, 18. 5. 1996. (98/C 134/12) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2489/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Council (28 July 1997) Subject: Shameless Turkish provocation aimed at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople In an unprecedented move, the Turkish Embassy in Brussels has sent a letter signed by Counsellor Cemil Karaman to Mr Etienne Quintiens, the Secretary of the Commission of Christian Churches in Belgium, notifying him that there was no Ecumenical Patriarchateí in Istanbul, but a Patriarchate of the Fanarí, and threatening that letters addressed to the Ecumenical Patriarchateí would be returned to the sender. Will the Council state its views on this shameless act of Turkish provocation, and say how it intends to react to actions by a country which aspires to EU membership, but shows no sign of behaving like a European state? Answer (15 January 1998) The Council would point out that the question of human rights is regularly on the agenda in the political dialogue between the European Union and the Republic of Turkey. In this framework, the Council will make constant efforts to promote a conciliatory approach, concerning in particular: › the application of internal laws and regulations; › compliance with the obligations - guaranteed by an international Treaty - of the Turkish State towards its non-Muslim minorities; › the religious and spiritual aspirations of a large number of Christians around the world, who for historical and canonical reasons of their own may consider His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch as first among equals (primus inter pares) of the Orthodox Patriarchs and Archbishops. In this context, the possibility of communication can be of major importance. (98/C 134/13) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2490/97 by Werner Langen (PPE) to the Council (28 July 1997) Subject: Non-payment of Socrates funds The Commission intends to pay the beneficiaries 30% of the appropriations for Action 1 of the Socrates programme only on submission of the final report. This will involve considerable disadvantages for the universities taking part: › Firstly, the announcement of how the funds are to be distributed is not made until after completion of the application phase, whereas with other EU aid programmes this information is made known before applications are made. › Secondly, the breakdown in the allocation represents a clear departure from the practice in previous programmes