WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2488/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Council. Acts of brutality committed in Somalia by soldiers from EU Member States
3. 4. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 102/49 Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission (22 September 1997) The objectives, contents and beneficiaries of the Interreg II programme for Italy and Albania were defined in partnership by the Commission, the Italian Government and the region of Apulia, in accordance with the procedures for the approval of aid programmes part-financed by the Community. The programme approved on 10 October 1996 does not specifically include any projects benefiting the port of Monopoli. Nevertheless, the regional authorities recently consulted the members of the programmeís Monitoring Committee about a proposal to include the port of Monopoli. The Commission has also received the information needed to evaluate the proposal, which it is currently examining, as are the other members of the Monitoring Committee. With regard to eligible areas, the entire province of Bari is eligible under the programme. The specific sites receiving financing under Interreg depend on the location of the projects financed. The project selection criteria vary according to the type of measures financed and are specified in both the programme measures and the calls for tender published by the Italian authorities. (98/C 102/69) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2488/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Council (28 July 1997) Subject: Acts of brutality committed in Somalia by soldiers from EU Member States According to international press reports, soldiers from EU Member States taking part in the multinational force of twenty-one states under the aegis of the UN committed unprecedented and inhuman acts of violence and torture against the civilian population of Somalia. The purpose of this force was supposed to be to protect and help the people of this African country ravaged by civil war, but the charges levelled against it › torture, executions of women and children and brutal beatings › strongly suggest that the behaviour of soldiers from certain Member States was far removed from the image European states should be projecting in todayís world. Will the Council say how it intends to react to these reports of unprecedented acts of brutality by soldiers from Member States (and notably, founding members) of the Union, acts which have dealt a devastating blow to its prestige as a whole and which give its declarations about áprotecting of human rightsí a hollow ring? The question put by the Honourable Member does not fall within the purview of the Council. Answer (13 November 1997) (98/C 102/70) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2491/97 by Werner Langen (PPE) to the Commission (18 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