WRITTEN QUESTION No. 176/99 by José TORRES COUTO Attacks on press freedom directed against Portuguese journalists in Angola
29. 11. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 341/61 Answer given by Mr Van Miert on behalf on the Commission (22 March 1999) The Commission can only refer to the answers given to the Honourable Member’s Written Questions P-2628/ 97 (1) and P-3945/97 (2). The purpose of the guidelines on state aid for enterprises in deprived urban areas is to set out the criteria used by the Commission to assess the compatibility of state aid for deprived urban areas with the common market (3). They are clarifications for the Member States, not an invitation to grant aid. It is for the Member States to take the relevant decisions; if they do so, they are required to submit their projects for approval by the Commission. (1) OJ C 82, 17. 3. 1998. (2) OJ C 18, 16. 6. 1998. (3) OJ C 146, 14. 5. 1997. (1999/C 341/086) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0176/99 by José Torres Couto (PSE) to the Commission (11 February 1999) Subject: Attacks on press freedom directed against Portuguese journalists in Angola The Angolan Government has issued an expulsion order against one Portuguese journalist and banned another from entering the country. The Angolan authorities have taken these steps because the journalists, both of whom were working for the newspaper Diário de Notícias, wrote a report published in that newspaper which displeased the Luanda authorities. What steps will the Commission take, within the framework of the cooperation agreements with Angola, with a view to countering this attack on the freedom to provide information? Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission (23 March 1999) The Commission is extremely concerned about the deteriorating situation in Angola, where despite international representations up to the level of the UN Security Council war has broken out again, bringing with it appalling suffering and dire consequences for human rights. Reflecting this concern, the Presidency issued a declaration on 28 December 1998 on behalf of the EU urging the Angolan government and,in particular, UNITA to respect human rights. As regards press freedom specifically, the Commission would point out that it finances a human rights monitoring programme for Reporters sans frontières (RSF), which reacted promptly to these violations and wrote a letter of protest to the Angolan authorities. (1999/C 341/087) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0181/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission Subject: Suspension of funding for Mount Athos (11 February 1999) Despite the Commission’s decision to provide funding under the Raphael programme (Action 1) for important monuments, such as the monasteries on Mount Athos, the Acropolis and Santiago de Compostela, Mount Athos was excluded from funding under DG X’s 1998 programmes