WRITTEN QUESTION E-0786/00 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council. Judicial cooperation on paedophilia.
C 374 E/152 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 The Dutch Government has 3. 1 February 2000. (1) OJ C 307, 7. 10. 1998, p. 10. (2) OJ L 280, 30. 10. 1999, p. 87. informed the Commission that the scheme was abolished on (2000/C 374 E/180) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0781/00 by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission (16 March 2000) Subject: Food Authority During the Committee on the Environmentís question-and-answer session of 23 February 2000 on the proposed establishment of a Food Authorityí, Commissioner Byrne made it clear that he believes that the proposed authority should not deal solely with food standards, but also should address nutritional and dietary issues. He added the rider, áso that the Food Authority is not merely telling scare stories from an ivory towerí. Furthermore, Commissioner Byrne stated that the Food Authority should draw on advisory research that may have been commissioned by outside organisations in the Member States. With these points in mind, could the Commission please comment on this obvious opportunity to address positively the issue of fortification. More particularly, does the Commission support the need to authorise and regulate disease-risk reduction information on food packs providing customers with positive health- related information about food? Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (3 May 2000) As mentioned in the white paper on food safety (1), adopted by the Commission on 12 January 2000, a proposal for a Parliament and Council directive on on fortified food is foreseen for September 2000. At present, the Commission is studying the issue of food fortification in depth with a view to preparing such a proposal. It is difficult at this stage to inform the Honourable Member about the proposalís orientation as work is still in a preliminary phase. Regarding the views of the Commission on claims concerning reduction of risk of disease, the Honourable Member is invited to refer to the answer given by the Commission to Written Question E-232/00 by Mrs Thomas-Mauro (2). (1) COM(1999) 719 final. (2) OJ C 303 E, 24. 10. 2000. (2000/C 374 E/181) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0786/00 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council (16 March 2000) Subject: Judicial cooperation on paedophilia The introduction of a policy on cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs under the Treaty of Maastricht was a vital step forwards in the European project. It is indeed difficult to understand why, in a Europe of complete freedom of movement and establishment, justice should remain subject to rigid borders. 28. 12. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 E/153 Unfortunately, that new pillar of European policy failed to address international crime in the area of the abuse and trafficking of children and women, which can be seen to be on the rise. This might be termed as the area of crime practised on a large scale which most seriously threatens the democratic society in which we live. A recent case involving a Belgian citizen (Frans de Ryck) and Portuguese children from the Autonomous Region of Madeira has highlighted the shortcomings arising from the lack of cooperation in the area of justice with regard to this type of situation. The Belgian state refused to extradite the citizen accused of the crime to Portugal, while the Portuguese State, through the Office of the Public Prosecutor of the Republic, refused to provide the victims with any legal support. As reported in the press (DiÆrio de Notícias), only private efforts by the Portuguese Victim Support Association and the support of a Portuguese law firm succeeded in resolving the problem. In the meantime the accused has lodged an appeal against the decision, and the victim has no information on the progress of the appeal. Does the Council not take the view that cooperation in the area of justice provided for by the Treaty on European Union should be extended to include international crimes involving the abuse and trafficking of minors and women? Reply (18 May 2000) The Council shares the Honourable Memberís concern to combat more effectively international crime involving the abuse of and trafficking in minors and women. Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union as amended by the Amsterdam Treaty, moreover, refers specifically, amongst ways of creating an area of freedom, security and justice, to the fight against trafficking in human beings and crimes against children. It should also be noted that powers have been given to Europol in the field of child pornography (1). The example quoted by the Honourable Member relates to a specific situation encountered in the field of extradition and is governed by the European Convention on Extradition of 13 December 1957. The reasons which prevented the requested extradition from taking place in the case in question relate to the fact that the Convention allows the Contracting Parties to refuse to extradite their own nationals. That situation is supposed to change following ratification of the Convention relating to extradition between the Member States of the European Union (2), which encourages Member States to review their domestic legislation, including their constitutional legislation, on this point. Furthermore, Portugal is shortly to put before the Council a significant initiative aimed at improving the situation of victims in the context of criminal procedure. (1) Council Decision of 3 December 1999 (OJ C 26, 30. 1. 1999, p. 21). (2) OJ C 313, 23. 10. 1996, p. 11. (2000/C 374 E/182) WRITTEN QUESTION P-0790/00 by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission (9 March 2000) Subject: Construction of port facilities on the river Arousa (Spain) without an environmental impact assessment The construction of port facilities for oil and chemical tankers, together with the creation of a storage area for oil and petro-chemical products, has prompted protests from the local population concerning the effects on the environment of the whole region. No environmental impact assessment was carried out for any of these building projects