WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3562/98 by Klaus LUKAS to the Commission. The European Development Fund as a 'milch cow'
C 182/98 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 6. 1999 (1999/C 182/130) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3551/98 by Katerina Daskalaki (UPE) to the Commission (1 December 1998) Subject: Further Turkish threats against Cyprus During his recent visit (5 November 1998) to the Turkish-occupied northern sector of Cyprus, the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Yilmaz, reiterated in a joint press conference with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktash, that any movement on accession negotiations with Cyprus would meet with the ‘response’ of the incorporation of the occupied territories into Turkey. Will the Commission 2 which is also engaging in legal contortions in a bid to provide Turkey with EU funding 2 say whether and in what way it intends to respond to these threats and whether it will continue to allow a third country to interfere, particularly in such a manner, in negotiations between the Union and an independent republic which is a member of all the major international organizations? Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (18 December 1998) The Commission is familiar with the statements referred to by the Honourable Member. As the Honourable Member is aware, Mr Denktash and President Demirel had already signed a joint declaration with a view to gradually integrating the northern part of the island of Cyprus with Turkey, back in January 1997. In July 1998, Turkey and the northern part of the island also signed an association agreement. In its ‘Regular report on Turkey’s progress towards accession’, adopted on 4 November 1998, the Commission gave its opinion on the statements and measures referred to above, namely that they ‘[were] incompatible with international law as expressed in the relevant UN resolutions, to which the European Union fully subscribes;’ the resolutions in question were based on the setting up of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. In the report, the Commission stated the view that ‘the good-offices mission conducted by the UN Secretary-General with the backing of the UN Security Council and the European Union must have the active support of all the interested parties. ’ Substantive accession negotiations with Cyprus began on 10 November 1998, in accordance with the agreed timetable. The Commission hopes that the Turkish Cypriot representatives will respond positively to the Greek Cypriot party’s proposal that they join the negotiations. The Commission shares the Council’s view that ‘progress towards accession and towards a just and viable solution of the Cyprus problem will naturally reinforce each other. ’ (1999/C 182/131) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3562/98 by Klaus Lukas (NI) to the Commission (1 December 1998) Subject: The European Development Fund as a ‘milch cow’ In his book ‘The Lost Vision’, Dr Nikolas Alexandrakis levelled serious accusations against the financial management of the Commission with regard to development aid. Thus, it is alleged that generous payments to dictators were made from the Lomé funds by order of the Director-General of DG VIII. The bloody regime of Sergeant Doe in Liberia, where Dr Alexandrakis was accredited as head of delegation of the EU Commission, is supposed to have been supported in this manner. It appears that Dr Alexandrakis informed the services in Brussels (DG VIII) that ministers and officials of the Doe regime considered the European Development Fund as a milch cow for their personal financial benefit (page 49). Thus, ministers are said to have regularly and