WRITTEN QUESTION E-2560/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Sea water cleanliness.
C 303 E/80 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 It is difficult to compare the existing and future standards of the Community with those of the United States or Japan. Other countries apply a different definition of waste and a different scope of application. Moreover, settings such as standard oxygen contents of flue gas or different measurement intervals complicate a comparison. (1) OJ L 365, 31. 12. 1994. (2) OJ L 163, 14. 6. 1989. (3) OJ L 203, 15. 7. 1989. (4) Press Release No 13293/99. (2000/C 303 E/071) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2560/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (11 January 2000) Subject: Sea water cleanliness Would the Commission please publish the latest available figures showing the cleanliness of sea water at the principal European Union coastal resorts, together with the equivalent figures for each resort for each of the last five years? Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (17 January 2000) The annual reporting obligations under Council Directive 76/160/EEC of 8 December 1975 concerning the quality of bathing water (1) imply that a quality assessment of Member Statesí bathing waters is made after each bathing season. The Directive requires that the data be reported to the Commission by 31 December by the responsible authority of the Member State. The Commission collects all these data for its annual report that is presented before the next bathing season around mid-May. The data on the 1999 bathing season will therefore be presented in May 2000. The latest available data are at the moment those of the 1998 bathing season. The references of the annual paper report are: Quality of bathing water (1998 bathing season), May 1999 ü EUR 18831. This information can also be found on the Europa internet site at http://europa. eu. int/water/water-bathing/ index_html. The atlas on the internet site gives the quality status of each individual bathing area since 1992. (1) OJ L 31, 5. 2. 1976. (2000/C 303 E/072) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2609/99 by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission (12 January 2000) Subject: Breaches of human rights in Turkey The Copenhagen criteria of 1993 require countries wishing to become members of the EU to guarantee human rights and respect and protect minorities. According to Parliamentís Resolution of 6 October 1999 Turkey is still far away from meeting these criteria. For example, official Turkish policy includes a prohibition on Christian religious activities and the Christian cathedral of Hagia Sophia is still under Muslim occupation. These clear breaches of human rights openly flout the Copenhagen criteria and it would therefore be interesting to know what demands the Commission makes on Turkey in the course of their present collaboration. Under Article 28 of the Association Agreement Turkey receives aid from the European Union. Will the Commission therefore describe the demands it makes in the course of its relations with Turkey regarding Turkeyís treatment of its Christian minority?