WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4006/97 by Daniel VARELA SUANZES- CARPEGNA to the Commission. Community production of slate and the environment
22. 6. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 196/53 › pay a licence fee in the case of agreements on access to an area in exchange for financial compensation. Agreements with financial compensation are those under which a third country grants fishing opportunities to Community vessels in exchange for financial compensation paid by the Commission and for a fee charged to the owner of the vessel requesting the licence. That fee is paid in its entirety by the vesselís owner to the third country. Such agreements have been concluded with South Atlantic and Indian Ocean countries and members of the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP). Thus, a vessel owner requesting a fishing licence for his vessel does not pay money to the Commission and no amount of that nature therefore appears in the Community budget. (98/C 196/72) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4004/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (14 January 1998) Subject: Bomb attack against the Oecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul On 3 December 1997 a bomb attack took place against the Oecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul, exploding on the roof of the Chapel of Saint George. It was thrown from the area north of the Patriarchal Gardens, and Turkish officials consider that it came from the minaret of a mosque located directly behind the Patriarchal Residence. In this bomb attack the deacon of the Oecumenical Patriarchate, Mr Nektarios, was wounded in the shoulder-blade: he was forced to undergo a number of operations in order to remove the shrapnel. It should be noted that, despite repeated attacks against the Oecumenical Patriarchate, security is still insignificant. Will the Commission say what measures it intends to take to persuade the Turkish authorities finally to provide effective security for the Oecumenical Patriarchate in order to prevent any such incidents occurring in future? Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (5 February 1998) The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officially condemned in December 1997 the attack on the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul. At that point the MFA emphasised that everything would be done for the culprits to be arrested and brought before the courts, and to avoid any recurrence. Enquiries are still in progress. On the subject of security measures taken since the attack, information obtained by the Commission from the Oecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul tells of armed police constantly stationed to protect the Patriarchate, and of continuous patrolling by gendarmes in the approaches to the building. The Patriarchate has said it is satisfied with the steps taken by the Turkish authorities. (98/C 196/73) WRITTEN QUESTION E-4006/97 by Daniel Varela Suanzes-Carpegna (PPE) to the Commission (14 January 1998) Subject: Community production of slate and the environment Can the Commission provide information concerning present levels of EC aid to the production of slate in the Community, in the context of the high environmental costs which the sector has to support and which reduce its competitiveness on the market?