WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1133/97 by Carlos ROBLES PIQUER to the Council. New NATO Research and Technology Organization
C 82/6 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 17. 3. 98 › the Council Resolution of 20 December 1996 on sentencing for serious illicit drug trafficking, › › the Joint Action of 9 June 1997 on the refining of targeting criteria, selection methods etc. , and collection of customs and police information, and the Joint Action of 16 June 1997 concerning information exchange, assessment and control of new synthetic drugs. 2. Cooperation between the European Union and the Latin American region in the fight against drug trafficking is also constantly being developed. With the Andean Community a ministerial meeting was held in September 1995. Pursuant, to this meeting high level experts meetings took place in March 1996 and June 1997. 3. Under the Netherlands Presidency special attention has been given to action against Latin American criminal organisations. The Europol Drugs Unit EDU has prepared a report, and the implementation of its recommendations will start under the Luxembourg Presidency. So far the Presidency has not undertaken specific action in regard to drugs trafficking from Surinam. The question of the initiation of criminal proceedings or any other action by a particular Member State is a responsibility of that Member State and does not fall within the scope of activities of the Council. (98/C 82/07) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1133/97 by Carlos Robles Piquer (PPE) to the Council (24 March 1997) Subject: New NATO Research and Technology Organization NATOís new R&T Board, which held its first meeting at the end of November 1996 as the governing body of NATOís Research and Technology Organization, replaces the previous management bodies of the Defence Research Group and AGARD (Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development). Given the desire to continue emphasizing aeronautical technology in the fifth framework programme and the growing need, within the Community framework, for technological assessments with a solid scientific basis, does the Council plan to monitor the Technology Coordination Reports, which were first compiled in 1995, and draw conclusions on the possible implications for the development of civil technology of this source of information which is available to most Member States? Answer (17 October 1997) Research related to Aeronautical technology has been one of the growing sectors in the Community RTD Framework Programmes. Several projects in this area are at present being funded from resources of the 4th Framework Programme. Such funding has covered only civil aspects of aeronautical technology since the Community Framework Programme does not give any support for military research, which is not covered by the EC Treaty. The Honourable Member of Parliament is informed that there does not exist any forum wihtin the Council, nor is one envisaged in the future, for exchanging views with NATO organisations on this subject. It is not, therefore, foreseen that the Council would examine or monitor the reports referred to in the Question