WRITTEN QUESTION E-1120/00 by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Imprisonment of Arkin Birdal and the judgment against Necmettin Erkaban in Turkey.
C 26 E/156 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 notified aid package is still pending. It is up to the United Kingdom authorities to inform the Commission whether the changed situation as regards the future ownership of Rover has an impact on the notified aid package. After having received this information from the United Kingdom, the Commission will act accordingly. The provisions of Commission Regulation (EC) No1475/95 of 28 June 1995 on the application of 2. Article 85 (3) of the Treaty to certain categories of motor vehicle distribution and servicing agreements (1) (the block exemption regulation) with regard to dealersí rights and obligations essentially apply to dealersí sales targets, dealersí stock requirements, cross-selling between dealers within the network, and the duration and termination of the dealerís agreement. The obligation of the carmaker to supply his dealers with cars is a matter of contractual law which would not fall within the scope of the block exemption. (1) OJ L 145, 29. 6. 1995. (2001/C 26 E/193) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1112/00 by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Commission (11 April 2000) Subject: Reimbursement of non-business expenditure under the 1994 UK VAT Act Could the Commission confirm that the arrangements under the 1994 UK VAT Act for reimbursing bodies such as local authorities for their non-business expenditure do not contravene Commission rules? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (12 May 2000) The reimbursement of VAT paid on the expenditure of a body governed by public law which is not a taxable person under the terms of Article 4(5) of the sixth Council Directive of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to turnover taxes ü Common system of value added tax: uniform basis of assessment (77/388/EEC) (1) is not incompatible with the said Directive. (1) OJ L 145, 13. 6. 1977. (2001/C 26 E/194) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1120/00 by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (11 April 2000) Subject: Imprisonment of Arkin Birdal and the judgment against Necmettin Erkaban in Turkey On Tuesday 28 March 200 the Public Prosecutor in Ankara refused to suspend the prison sentence against Arkin Birdal, a renowned and courageous defender of civil rights in Turkey accused of making ásubversive speechesí. His lawyers had requested a six monthsí suspension of the sentence because he needs intensive medical treatment for injuries sustained as a result of an attempt made on his life. At the beginning of March the former Prime Minister Necmettin Erkaban was sentenced to a yearís imprisonment for similar offences, because of a speech he made in 1994. 1. Does the Commission not consider that these blatant violations of freedom of expression and human rights are at odds with the commitments entered into by the Turkish Government with a view to EU membership and the basic conditions for the accession of new States, such as respect for the founding principles of the Union, sanctioned in Article 6(1) of the TEU, and the political criteria laid down by the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993? 26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/157 Does the Commission not consider that it should prevail upon the Ankara government to put an end 2. to the judicial and other forms of persecution inflicted on Mr Birdal and Mr Erkaban? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (22 May 2000) The Commission shares the concern expressed by the Honourable Member on the situation of Mr Akin Birdal, who has had to return to prison to complete his sentence, and Mr Necmettin Erbakan, who was sentenced to a year in prison. With regard to Mr Birdal, a well-known defender of human rights in Turkey, the Commission fully supports the statement by the Council Presidency of 30 March 2000 calling on the Turkish Government to take steps to free him. This latest development is all the more regrettable since the decision of the last European Council in Helsinki on 10 December 1999, confirming Turkeyís status as a candidate country, called on it to make a special effort to respect the political criteria laid down at Copenhagen. It is therefore vital that Turkey resolutely commit itself to a sustained process of democratisation and adopt the necessary reforms. In this respect the revision and even repeal of Article 312 of the penal code, under which Mr Birdal was convicted in 1998 and Mr Erbakan in March 2000, appears inevitable. (2001/C 26 E/195) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1181/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Conservation of the district of San Lorenzo in Florence (12 April 2000) Is the Commission aware that the district of San Lorenzo in Florence is deteriorating and suffering neglect? How does it intend to safeguard the artistic, historical and cultural heritage of this district, whose market attracts millions of tourists from all over Europe every year? How does the Commission intend to guarantee the safety of tradesmen, itinerant salesmen and tourists and ensure that trading can be carried on normally, thereby preventing the deterioration from gradually discouraging craft industries and driving people away from Florenceís historic centre? Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission (29 May 2000) Article 151 (ex Article 128) of the EC Treaty gives the Community responsibility for encouraging cooperation between the Member States in the area of culture. The question raised by the Honourable Member does not come under the responsibility of the Community but, on the basis of the principle of subsidiarity, is the sole responsibility of the Member State. (2001/C 26 E/196) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1185/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission (12 April 2000) Subject: Tax burden on single persons The tax rates to which single persons are subject vary from one European Union country to another. A recent OECD study shows that the tax levied on single persons in some countries exceeds 50 % of