WRITTEN QUESTION E-0811/00 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Council. Minister Christian Sautter's behaviour.
C 374 E/162 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 Will the Commission say: ü Which institution drew up this blacklist and which criteria did it use to do so? ü Was the European Parliament consulted before this step was taken and if not, is there any intention of remedying this situation? ü Is it true that this list includes the names of the Minister for Refugee Affairs, Belgradeís ambassador in Skopje and senior officials in the fields of the economy, trade and healthcare, i. e. persons directly involved in alleviating and eliminating the consequences of the war? ü What does it mean by the phrase ápersons who have contributed substantially towards strengthening the Milosevic regimeí? ü Is it aware that by imposing tougher sanctions in this way it is actually undermining the position of the Yugoslav opposition movement which considers that EU sanctions are strengthening the present regime in Belgrade? Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission (29 March 2000) The Commission recalls that the Council has determined the criteria by which individuals are included in and removed from the list of those to whom visas will not be issued for entry into Member States. The visa ban lists are adopted by Council Decision implementing Article 1 of common position 1999/318/ CFSP (1). The Parliament was not consulted in advance on this list. Under Article 15 of the Treaty on European Union, such consultation is not foreseen. The list contains the names of members of the Belgrade regime and their supporters. In exceptional cases, exemptions may be made if this would further vital Union objectives and be conducive to political settlement in accordance with Article 1(4) of the common position. The Commission considers that the phrase to which the Honourable Member refers is self-explanatory. The Commission does not share the Honourable Memberís assessment that the toughening of the sanctions strengthens the Former Republic of Yugoslavia regime and is detrimental to the Serbian opposition. The sanctions are, as far as possible, applied in such a way as to impact on the regime but not the population. The visa ban, for instance, is recognised as an effective sanction against the regime in Belgrade, while some of the other sanctions have already been partly lifted (e. g. the flight ban and oil embargo as regards Kosovo and Montenegro) or are being temporarily suspended (e. g. the flight ban on Serbia, as part of a wider package of strengthening both the visa ban and the financial sanctions). The suspension of the flight ban was, inter alia, a response to demands by the Serbian democratic opposition. (1) OJ L 123, 13. 5. 1999. (2000/C 374 E/192) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0811/00 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Council (20 March 2000) Subject: Minister Christian Sautterís behaviour At the meeting of EU Finance Ministers in Brussels on 28 February the French Finance Minister, Christian Sautter, caused a stir by displaying an unusual sticker. Attached to his overcoat and, later, his suit was a palm-size sticker showing a no-traffic sign with the diagonal through a bow tie, the trademark of the new 28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/163 Austrian Federal Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel. To show his disapproval of Austriaís ruling coalition, the French Finance Minister turned in all directions several times on his arrival in the Belgian capital to draw the journalistsí attention to the sticker and the message it conveyed. His delegation, he said, had enough stickers for the other ministers. Later the Belgian Finance Minister, Didier Reynders, joined his French colleague. What constitutes good taste is, of course, arguable, but some things are totally lacking in taste. is the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria. As secretary of Dr Wolfgang Schüssel the parliamentary group of the Austrian Peopleís Party (ÖVP) for many years, as Secretary-General of the Austrian Economic Federation, as Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice-Chancellor, he had a blameless career. Since 1995 he has been the Federal party chairman of the ÖVP, a party which, like no other in Austria, has always pledged its allegiance to a democratic Europe. On 4 February 2000 Dr Wolfgang Schüssel was sworn in as Federal Chancellor. Over the years the Austrian people have been able to see how efficiently and professionally he operates. There cannot be the slightest doubt about his European mentality and attitude. The Council is therefore asked when it intends to put a stop to this evil campaign of character assassination and to ensure that common sense prevails in relations among European partners and friends. Reply (25 May 2000) The Council has not taken a view on this subject and cannot therefore comment on the issues raised in the Honourable Memberís question. (2000/C 374 E/193) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0812/00 by Michl Ebner (PPE-DE) to the Council (20 March 2000) Subject: Remarks by the Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel on the Austrian Government At last, on 27 February, the Belgian Foreign Minster Louis Michel described his outspoken remarks on the Austrian Government as foolish and withdrew them. The international press agencies reported that he had described his call on Belgian tourists not to travel to Austria because of the new government coalition as incredible and verging on bad taste. But anybody looking for a Belgian reappraisal of its strategy of isolating Austria had their hopes dashed two days later. In the interview in the Belgian weekly Le Journal du Mardií published on 29 February Michel expressed his hope that the sanctions imposed on Austria by the 14 Member States would topple the Vienna Government. Asked the goal of his strategy towards Austria, he answered: I should like to bring down is his the present Austrian Government. Haider is undoubtedly a neo-Nazi, but Wolfgang Schlüssel accomplice out of pure personal ambitioní. Louis Michel, with his contradictory pronouncements, in blatant contrast with the European ideal of dealings between the Member States on the basis of partnership and responsibility, has set a precedent for relations between the countries in the European Union. The European project for peace and stability based on responsible economic, political and social cooperation on the basis of trust is being jeopardised by reckless and insensitive remarks such as Mr Michelís. What does the Council intend to do to halt the process of disintegration in the Union since the strategy of isolating Austria began?