WRITTEN QUESTION E-1954/99 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Council. Kosovo ‐ Agenda 2000.
1. 8. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 219 E/51 (2000/C 219 E/059) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1947/99 by Olivier Dupuis (TDI) to the Council (4 November 1999) Subject: Kosovo An increasing number of voices are coming out in favour of independence for Kosovo, particularly, but not only, including those of well-known US politicians. At the same time, in Europe we are seeing, on the one hand, a álegalisticí offensive reaffirming the concept of the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia and, on the other, policy being implemented on the ground in a way which is obliged to take account of the new reality of the situation in Kosovo. Does the Council agree that this ambivalent approach on the part of Europe risks ultimately undermining the issue of determining the final status of Kosovo? Does the Council agree that the Union should swiftly put forward a political approach to resolving the issue of the final status of Kosovo? Does it agree that such an approach should differ both from the ambivalent positions seen, with the risks which these pose in the medium term, and from positions favouring independence, which would only further increase the fragmentation of the Balkans, by proposing right now the reunification of Kosovo and Albania? Irrespective of the adoption of such an approach, is the Council ready to allocate a substantial part of the resources under the reconstruction programme to building new communication routes and improving existing routes between Albania and Kosovo? Reply (31 January 2000) EU policy on Kosovo is firmly based on the full implementation of UNSCR 1244 in all its parts and by all parties involved. Therefore, the Council does not see the EUís approach as being ambivalent. Rumours about the áinevitability of independence for Kosovoí are counter-productive and are firmly rejected by the Council, which continues to uphold the principle of the territorial integrity of the FRY. Just recently, all participants in the Stability Pact in which the EU plays a leading role solemnly reaffirmed their commitment inter alia to all the principles and norms enshrined in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris and the 1990 Copenhagen document. The Council would like to inform the Honourable Member that the question of building new communica- tion routes in South Eastern Europe is also on the agenda of the Stability Pactís Working Table on economic reconstruction, development and cooperation. At the inaugural meeting of that Working Table in Bari on 9 October, several countries of the region and the EIB have tabled infrastructure projects, the feasibility and financing of which are currently being assessed. (2000/C 219 E/060) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1954/99 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Council (9 November 1999) Subject: Kosovo ü Agenda 2000 As part of the reconstruction effort in Kosovo, the EU has provided financial assistance running into billions. The same is true for the reconstruction following the devastating earthquake in Turkey. These measures were decided on after the adoption of Agenda 2000. C 219 E/52 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 1. 8. 2000 In view of this, can the Council answer the following: 1. How much will the EU and/or their Member States invest in the reconstruction of Kosovo and what is the duration of the aid programmes? 2. What is the effect of these measures likely to be on the future budgets of the EU? 3. Does the Council consider that the plans for financing the Agenda 2000 need to be reviewed? 4. If not, how does the Council explain the fact that this financial assistance will have no effect on the plans for financing Agenda 2000? Reply (14 February 2000) 1. The budgetary procedure for the year 2000 been concluded, the amount allocated to the reconstruc- tion of Kosovo in the EU-budget for the year 2000 shall be up to a maximum of € 360 million. This will include € 300 million in commitment appropriations. In addition to this, the Member States have pledged bilateral aid in different forms at the two donors conferences organised by the World Bank and the Commission. The European Parliament and the Council, noting that the conditions laid down in paragraph 24 of 2. the Interinstitutional Agreement had been met, have decided by common agreement to use the flexibility instrument to finance the balance of the needs created by the reconstruction of Kosovo which cannot be met by carrying over appropriations from the 1999 budget or by redeployment of appropriations entered in the draft budget for the financial year 2000. 3. It is obvious that the reconstruction of Kosovo will take more than one year, but as the estimates for a longer period have not as yet been established, no exact figures on the amount of reconstruction aid can be fixed at the moment. (2000/C 219 E/061) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1957/99 by Gerhard Hager (NI) to the Commission (5 November 1999) Subject: Alitalia The Italian airline Alitalia offers its passengers a free transfer from Milan to Malpensa airport. 53 % of Alitalia shares are owned by IRI which in turn is owned by the Italian state. In view of this, can the Commission answer the following questions: 1. Is the Commission aware of this? 2. Does the Commission consider that the Alitalia offer constitutes an illegal state aid pursuant to Article 87 of the EC Treaty? 3. 4. If not, how does the Commission justify its interpretation of the provisions? If so, what legal steps does the Commission intend to take to curtail this practice? Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission (3 January 2000) The Commission is aware that Alitalia has entered into an agreement with the Malpensa Express company to offer its passengers free rail transport between the city of Milan and Malpensa airport. This is a commercial arrangement designed to offset the inconvenience for Alitaliaís customers of the new airport