WRITTEN QUESTION No. 499/98 by Elly PLOOIJ-VAN GORSEL to the Council. Tapping of European telephone, fax and E-mail traffic by the USA
C 323/42 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 21. 10. 98 (98/C 323/53) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0497/98 by Carmen Fraga Este·vez (PPE) to the Commission (2 March 1998) Subject: EU-ACP fisheries trade balance It is of vital interest to the European Union to promote the development of fisheries in the ACP countries, including a greater flow of exports from these countries to the EU. Will the Commission provide information on the trade balance for fisheries products between the EU and the ACP countries in terms of both volume and value, including: › fishery exports from each ACP country to each Member State; › a breakdown by species of exports from each ACP country to each Member State; › fishery imports by each ACP country with details of each exporter Member State; › breakdown by species of imports by each ACP country and details of the Member State of origin? Answer given by Mrs Bonino on behalf of the Commission (6 April 1998) The Community has a very unfavourable balance of trade in fisheries products with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. In 1996, Community exports to the ACP states amounted to 331 000 tonnes and were worth ECU 185 million, while imports from them amounted to 378 000 tonnes, worth ECU 1 093 million. Community exports of fisheries products to the ACP states thus represent only 17% of imports in value terms. Because of the amount of information involved, the Commission will send the Honourable Member and the Parliament Secretariat a summary table of the information requested. (98/C 323/54) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0499/98 by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) to the Council (27 February 1998) Subject: Tapping of European telephone, fax and E-mail traffic by the USA 1. Is the Council aware that EU Member States tap one anotherís communications on a large scale? If so, what will the Council do about it? 2. Does the Council consider that existing legislation in the Union provides adequate means of preventing the United States or any other country, including the Member States, from using modern technologies unlawfully to violate the privacy of European citizens and the confidentiality of information? If not, will the Council ask the Commission to propose European and international rules to combat abuses 3. of new information and communications technologies? Answer (13/14 July 1998) The Council is aware of publications in the media about the matters referred to by the Honourable Member in point 1 of her question, but has no information about these practices