WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1051/98 by Jens-Peter BONDE to the Council. Abolition of border controls and derogations
2. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 304/163 Answer (8 June 1998) The European Unionís common position on Cuba of 2 December 1996 states that in order to facilitate peaceful change in Cuba, the Union will encourage the reform of internal legislation concerning political and civil rights, including the Cuban criminal code. It is against this background, and at a technical level, that was organized the mission of legal experts which the Commission sent to Cuba in accordance with the Presidencyís recommendations which the Council approved on 8 December 1997. The report on this mission will be analysed by the Council and will constitute one of the elements to be taken into consideration at the next evaluation of the common position which is due to take place in June 1998. In accordance with the provisions of paragraph 4 of the common position, it is as the Cuban authorities make progress towards democracy that the Union will lend its support to that process and will examine the appropriate use of the means at its disposal for that purpose. As for the second question put by the Honourable Member, the Council would like to point out that on 24 February 1998 the Presidency made a declaration on behalf of the European Union in which it welcomes the Cuban Governmentís decision to release immediately a certain number of prisoners in response to the Popeís appeal and in which it urges the authorities to liberate and fully reintegrate into society all who have been imprisoned for having peacefully expressed their political views, including the four leading members of the Internal Dissidence Working Group. (98/C 304/249) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1051/98 by Jens-Peter Bonde (I-EDN) to the Council (3 April 1998) Subject: Abolition of border controls and derogations How should Article 14 and Article 62 be construed in relation to each other and how does the Schengen Agreementís timetable for abolishing border controls take effect in relation to Articles 14 and 62? What is the difference between the Danish derogation and the UK and Irish derogation from Article 14? Does Denmark also have derogations from the provision concerning the abolition of border controls? Does the derogation from Article 14 also apply to the Kingdom of Denmark? Answer (4 June 1998) As long as the Treaty of Amsterdam has not entered into force, the Council considers itself not a position to make statements concerning the meaning of articles introduced by that Treaty. (98/C 304/250) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1085/98 by Jannis Sakellariou (PSE) to the Council (31 March 1998) Subject: Implementation of the Association Agreement with Tunisia Although it has been ratified by the national parliaments and the European Parliament, and entered into force on 1 March 1998, the agreement between Tunisia and the European Union has not yet been implemented in the case of the commitments made by the EU in the agricultural sector, notably with regard to olive oil, because the Council has not adopted the required implementing regulation. Is this situation not likely to harm a partnership that we have been steadfastly trying to encourage?