WRITTEN QUESTION E-1745/99 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council. Immigration and the outermost regions.
C 170 E/90 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 6. 2000 Moreover, the basic treaties of the European Union incorporate such principles as freedom of, entitlement to and respect for any religious, political or sexual opinion and prohibit discrimination on any of these grounds. is entitled to take Hence under new Article 13 introduced by the Treaty of Amsterdam the Council appropriate action, on a proposal from the Commission, to combat discrimination based, amongst other things, on sexual orientation. For this reason, deplorable incidents of this kind call for a clear and tough response from the Unionís institutions, and specifically from the Commission as the proper guardian of the Treaties. The Commission: 1. Can it give details of the number of attacks on gays, lesbians and trans-sexuals within the territory of the European Union, in each of the Member States, from 1995 to date? 2. What range of measures does it plan to take to prevent and avoid attacks of this kind? Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission (3 November 1999) 1. The Commission does not have the information requested. With regard to non-discrimination based on sexual orientation, the Commission co-funded in 1998 a report of the International lesbian and gay association (ILGA) entitled Equality for lesbians and gay mení. This report gives a comprehensive overview of the legal and social situation of lesbians and gay men in the 15 Member States. The Commission is sending copies of the report direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliamentís Secretariat. Article 13 of the EC Treaty (ex-Article 6a), empowers the Council, on a proposal 2. from the Commission, to take appropriate action to combat discrimination based, inter alia, on sexual orientation. Following extensive consultations, the Commission intends to propose a package of anti-discrimination measures based on Article 13 in the near future, involving both legislation and an action programme. (2000/C 170 E/104) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1745/99 by Isidoro SÆnchez García (ELDR) to the Council (1 October 1999) Subject: Immigration and the outermost regions Despite the goodwill the Council has shown in recent years in conducting a sensible immigration and asylum policy, there is still illegal immigration and it is taking as its point of entry into the European Unionís territory some of the outermost regions close to the African continent, as is happening with the Canary Islands. How does the Council propose to give practical shape to Community strategy in order to control immigration of this kind and what, if any, operational programme will it be carrying out in this unusual frontier region? Reply (7 December 1999) 1. The question posed by the Honourable Member relates to the Councilís actions as regards, on the one hand, the controls by Member States of external air and maritime borders and, on the other hand, the root causes of flight and migration from some African countries. 20. 6. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 170 E/91 2. Measures to strengthen the effectiveness of controls by Member States of external air and maritime borders have been mainly developed in the Schengen framework, and are now integrated in the European Union acquis, following the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty. Although these measures are carried out by Member States, the Council is monitoring their effective implementation in its competent bodies. As an example, practical measures to prevent illegal in cooperation with selected African countries, on the basis of the Decision of the Schengen Executive Committee of 18 December 1998 on coordinated deployment of document advisers. immigration by air and sea are undertaken, 3. In addition to the Schengen acquis, practical measures of this type are also being developed, on behalf of the EU as a whole, on the basis of the pre-existing European Union acquis, specifically the Joint Position of 25 October 1996 on pre-frontier assistance and training assignments (OJ No L 281, 31. 10. 1996). Such measures, which will be coordinated within the competent Council bodies, however, do not concern for the time being any African country. 4. Regarding the root causes for flight or migration from some African countries, reference is made to the Action Plan for Morocco, approved by the Council on 11 October 1999. This Action Plan is part of a group of five Action Plans, each one defining a comprehensive and coherent approach targeted at the situation of an important country of origin and/or transit of asylum-seekers and migrants. For each country selected, the Action Plans present a coherent and well-balanced combination of the various possibilities of the European Union in the area of Foreign Affairs, Development, Humanitarian and Economic assistance. 5. In the Action Plan for Morocco, this country was considered as a country of origin as well as of transit of economic migrants toward European countries. The measures recommended in this Action Plan include specifically the following: Building on existing channels to improve collection of relevant data, dissemination of correct information on migration, development of strategies to combat illegal trafficking, promotion of measures aimed at implementing readmission agreements. Promotion of foreign direct investment, vocational training and self-employment and small-scale enterprises. Facilitation of voluntary return and reintegration, integration into society of Moroccans legally residing in EU countries. The Tampere European Council, held on 15 and 16 October 1999, considered as a useful 6. contribution the first action plans approved by the Council, and invited the Council and the Commission to report back on their implementation to the European Council in December 2000. (2000/C 170 E/105) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1746/99 by Winfried Menrad (PPE-DE) to the Commission (1 October 1999) Subject: Distortion of competition resulting from EU aid for firms in Italy A number of firms in the Tauber district (Baden-Württemberg) and the Heilbron chamber of commerce and industry have complained to me that the Commission is granting financial aid, as a means of encouraging participation at trade fairs ( Promotion-Actioní), to the region of Umbria and that this is being used for the co-financing of the national and regional authorities there. The co-financing is provided as part of an operational programme submitted by the region to the Commission and handled by Directorate- General XVI (or V). The money is being used at Perugia Classicoí, the musical instrument fair in Perugia, to finance not only the costs of stands and the fair but also travel and accommodation expenses of persons attending the fair (including flights, hotels, meals and tourist attractions). Can the Commission answer the following: 1. Does the information I have received reflect the real situation? 2. Do you agree that in this case the firms in question enjoy an unacceptable competitive advantage over German firms, for example?