WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2881/97 by Brendan DONNELLY to the Commission. Population control programmes
3. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 102/143 Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (8 October 1997) Between 1994 and 1996 the Commission financed two projects in support of the Tibetans. One of these was a media project implemented by the organisation Droit de parole › Observatoire Maongpaí [The right to speak › Maongpa Observatory]. This project ended in 1996. At the end of 1996 two new media projects were submitted, one from the same organisation. As part of its work to develop a more coherent intervention strategy on human rights, in June 1997 the Commission sent two consultants to Tibet to identify worthwhile projects. At the beginning of August they submitted a report accompanied by details of about twenty projects involving different sectors, among them media projects which include those referred to by the Honourable Member. The Commission will study the projects received and recommended by the consultants and make its selection in line with its broader policy for the region as a whole. (98/C 102/215) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2881/97 by Brendan Donnelly (PPE) to the Commission (17 September 1997) Subject: Population control programmes Will the Commission make a statement about the practical measures which its officials take to ensure that funding for population control programmes in developing countries does not go to countries or organizations which practise or tolerate coercive measures? Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (13 October 1997) Recital (9) of the new Council Regulation (EC) No 1484/97 of 22 July 1997 on aid for population policies and programmes in the developing countries (1) points out that the Community denounces any violations of human rights in the form of compulsory abortion or compulsory sterilisation; Article 6 of the Regulation lays down that cooperation initiatives shall be implemented on the basis of dialogue with the national, regional and local authorities concerned so as to avoid programmes which are coercive, discriminatory or prejudicial to fundamental human rights. Action supported by the Commission has to abide by these principles. The Commission makes sure of this, in particular by careful prior analysis of projects and schemes submitted to it and through dialogue with its partners and the contractors. (1) OJ L 202, 30. 7. 1997. (98/C 102/216) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2884/97 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission (17 September 1997) Subject: Mutually recognized training qualifications What progress has been made towards achieving harmonization of training standards and qualifications across Member States?