WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2314/98 by Riccardo NENCINI to the Commission. Closure of the district magistrate's court of Borgo San Lorenzo
18. 1. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 13/155 It has been a long standing policy of the Union to urge the Chinese authorities to respect the basic human rights of the people of Tibet and to help preserve their distinctive culture and way of life. One of the Unionís main objectives has been to encourage dialogue between the Chinese government and the Dalaï Lama in order to secure a lasting solution to the tensions which exist between the two sides. In view of the observations made by the troika heads of mission, further reflection is now underway to determine how this policy can be best updated to most effectively create the right conditions for dialogue and reconciliation and to promote the interests of the inhabitants of Tibet. (1999/C 13/221) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2280/98 by Anita Pollack (PSE) to the Commission (22 July 1998) Subject: Thalassaemia Does the Commission have any information about the prevalence of Thalassaemia in each Member State? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (5 August 1998) The Commission does not have the information requested. (1999/C 13/222) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2314/98 by Riccardo Nencini (PSE) to the Commission (22 July 1998) Subject: Closure of the district magistrateís court of Borgo San Lorenzo A decision has recently been taken to close the magistrateís court at Borgo San Lorenzo (Florence). This decision is unwarranted (not least in view of the Italian Governmentís new determinations in this area) because the court covers a very wide area (over 1127 km2) with 56 000 inhabitants (the law requires a minimum of 50 000) and the closure of the court cannot be justified on the basis of the volume of the courtís judicial activities. The withdrawal of this service has had considerable drawbacks for the local population. In view of the new Community orientations in the area of the reform of the judicial system, can the Commission express an opinion in order to allow the decision to be reviewed? Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission (7 September 1998) The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that, since the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union, judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters has been a matter of common interest for the Member States. However, no provision has been made for European action relating to the organisation of the courts in the Member States. Each Member State retains the sovereign power to decide on the number and location of courts in its territory on the basis of domestic considerations