WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2708/97 by Joan VALLVÉ to the Commission. The Interreg III initiative
C 117/50 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 4. 98 (98/C 117/61) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2699/97 by Maartje van Putten (PSE) to the Council (1 September 1997) Subject: Mission to Colombia In October 1995, during the Spanish Presidency, a Council troika visited Columbia in connection with the state of human rights in that country. On its return the troika called for support for projects to do with human rights, education, health care and infrastructure. It was recently decided during the Dutch Presidency, to send another mission to Colombia. 1. a) What action has the Council taken since October 1995 to implement the support called for at that time, and what results has this produced in Colombia? b) If there was no follow-up to the troika visit in 1995, can the Council explain why? 2. a) When will the new mission be departing for Colombia? b) What will its terms of reference be? c) How is its programme being drawn up? 3. Is the Council prepared, once the mission has been completed, to send a report of its findings and the policy implications to the European Parliament? Answer (4 December 1997) The Council has always followed the situation in Colombia very closely and will continue to do so, encouraging all sides to follow the path of dialogue and reconciliation to put an end to the internal conflict which rages in Colombia and its tragic and frequent outbreaks of violence. The opening in Bogota of an office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights › which receives EU funding › is an important event for cooperation with Colombia. With particular reference to the questions raised by the Honourable Member, the Council would point out that the Troika as such did not visit Colombia in October 1995. The Deputy Heads of Mission of the Troika Embassies in Bogota visited Uraba and Medellin on 27 and 28 October 1995 to take stock of the human rights situation. After that fact-finding mission, the plan was for the European Commissionís office in Bogota to send a technical mission to Uraba to identify potential cooperation projects. Owing to staff shortages and for security reasons, that mission to investigate the local situation could not be carried out until 1997. The Commission has recently decided to provide ECU 400 000 to finance a project for the Uraba region, the aim of which is to support local NGOs working in the area of human rights. The Commission will be able to give the Honourable Member more detailed information on these initiatives. (98/C 117/62) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2708/97 by Joan Vallve· (ELDR) to the Commission (1 September 1997) Subject: The Interreg III initiative At the informal meeting of the Council held in Nordwijk on 10 June 1997, it was decided that cross-border cooperation was a fundamental aspect of European regional planning. In application of the principle of subsidiarity, the states and regions involved should participate fully in such cooperation. Does the Commission believe that the new regulations governing the Community initiatives, more specifically Interreg III, should be adapted in such a way as to facilitate the participation of local and regional authorities?