WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1104/99 by Patricia McKENNA Tibetan Independence
C 370/166 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 21. 12. 1999 common criteria, for early retirement, for example. There is a need for clear and simple rules in such an important area as pensions and it would, therefore, seem appropriate for all pensions to be covered by common rules. What progress is being made with the coordination of benefits in this area and can the Commission also envisage proposing common rules for early retirement? (1) OJ L 149, 5. 7. 1971, p. 2. Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (4 May 1999) it has proposed The Commission would draw the Honourable Member’s attention to the fact that extending the material scope of Regulation (EEC) 1408/71 with a view to coordinating national social security systems with pre-retirement systems (1) on several occasions. The Commission’s 1996 proposal has unfortunately not yet achieved unanimity at Council level. Furthermore, the Commission recently adopted a proposal to simplify and reform Regulation (EEC) 1408/ 71 (2) in which a new chapter has been inserted to include and coordinate pre-retirement systems, in accordance with the contents of the previous proposal of 1996. The new proposal should be examined by the Council in the course of 1999. At the same time, the Commission is examining, on a case-by-case basis, whether the national legislations respect the principles guaranteed by the EC Treaty, as recently interpreted by the Court of Justice (3), in favour of beneficiaries of pre-retirement benefits. See OJ C 169, 9. 7. 1980 and OJ C 62, 1. 3. 1996. (1) (2) OJ C 38, 12. 2. 1999. (3) See Commission/France judgment C-35/97 of 24. 9. 1998. (1999/C 370/235) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1104/99 by Patricia McKenna (V) to the Commission (21 April 1999) Subject: Tibetan Independence How is the Commission monitoring the human rights situation in Tibet? What is the Commission prepared to do to promote a peaceful settlement between China and Tibet in which Tibet be granted its right to autonomy? Does the Commission not feel that it is acting hypocritically in continuing to trade with China when it is involved in the ethnic cleansing of the Tibetan people? Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission (4 May 1999) The Commission has raised the question of Tibet at every session of the human rights dialogue between China and the Community. In the framework of this dialogue, Community troika ambassadors visited Tibet on several occasions, most recently in May 1998, to assess the human rights situation on the ground. The Community strongly supports a peaceful settlement of differences regarding Tibet through a direct dialogue between Beijing and representatives of the Dalai Lama, and regularly urges Chinese authorities to accept the Dalai Lama’s offer to engage in such a dialogue. The Commission believes that integrating further China in the world economy would meaningfully contribute towards building an open society based on the rule of law