WRITTEN QUESTION E-1013/00 by Andre Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Fatalities and injuries at the European Union's external borders in 1997-1999.
26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/143 The document setting out the Commissionís and the Councilís judgement on the Italian NAP is the Joint employment report (JER) for 1998, which was adopted in the wake of the Vienna European Council (2). Reference to the programme for vocational training may be found on the pages dedicated to Italy (pp. 86-89 of the JER for 1998) ü the phrase ánon-existantí is not used. 1. The European social fund (ESF) has been allocated for the period 1994-1999, not just for 1999. Some changes have been made to the programming mechanisms to bring the ESF in line with the European employment strategy. Young people are the most successful target group for ESF interventions. This means that the 2. expenditure and the coverage rate are very high. 3. Decisions on courses are taken by the responsible authorities, which are the region and the various ministries involved in the management. Decisions on the allocation of funds to various projects are usually based on the needs of the labour market. 4. Funds allocated from the ESF are the subject of control systems in the Member States and in the Commission. Every intervention is the subject of an ex-ante visa from the Commission and by ex-post on- the-spot controls made by the Court of auditors and by the Commission. Controls carried out by the Member State authorities are carried out in the framework of its national legislation. The Commission also carries out evaluations of the interventions in partnership with the Member States. These evaluations involve cost and benefit analysis and show to what extent targets have been reached. 5. A decision on the funds allocation for the period 2000-2006 is foreseen in the first half of the year. The Community resources devoted to objective 3 amount to € 3 888 million. As far as objective 1 is concerned, the total amount of structural funds devoted to the southern regions amounts to € 22 122 million. For information on the previous programming period, 1994-1999, a useful tool is the Europa website containing all the necessary information on the interventions in Italy (3). (1) Document 00300/1/98. (2) http://europa. eu. int/comm/employment_social/empl&esf/empl99/jer98_en. pdf. (3) http://europa. eu. int/comm/dg05/esf/en/public/leafs/it-it. htm. (2001/C 26 E/178) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1013/00 by Andre Brie (GUE/NGL) to the Council (6 April 2000) Subject: Fatalities and injuries at the European Unionís external borders in 1997-1999 According to investigations by the non-governmental organisation UNITED for Intercultural Action, nine hundred people died while attempting, in some cases illegally, to enter the European Union between 1 January 1997 and the end of 1999. Comparable figures were provided by other non-governmental organisations (Antirassistische Initiative, Forschungsgesellschaft Flucht und Migration), although it should be noted that they do not claim to be comprehensive. In view of the fact that the number of fatalities has risen since the beginning of the 1990s and in the knowledge that most EU Member States are increasing their (financial and technical) efforts to strengthen protection at the relevant borders, the Council is asked: 1. According to the Councilís information, from 1997 to 1999, how many people were found dead at the land borders, coasts, ports and airports and in the border regions of the EU Member States, how many inquests were opened on them and what were the findings of these inquests (please give details)? 2. According to the Councilís information, from 1997 to 1999, how many people were picked up with physical injuries (frostbite, hypothermia, suffering from hunger or thirst) sustained during their, in some cases illegal, border crossing (please give details)? C 26 E/144 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 3. According to the Councilís information, from 1997 to 1999, how many people were injured in the process of their, in some cases illegal, border crossing because of the use of direct force or physical violence and how many inquiries or disciplinary proceedings were opened as a result and what was the outcome in each case (please give details)? 4. According to the Councilís information, from 1997 to 1999, how many people died during their attempt (in some cases illegal) to enter the European Union (lack of oxygen, hunger, thirst, cold, excessive heat during transport)? Reply (8 June 2000) The Council has no statistics enabling it to answer the Honourable Memberís questions. (2001/C 26 E/179) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1020/00 by Lucio Manisco (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (4 April 2000) Subject: Five cases of torture and violation of human rights in Turkey In the past week, several newspapers, non-governmental organisations and sources from the International Red Cross and the UN have brought to Parliamentís attention the serious case of five Turkish professionals, engineers and entrepreneurs ü Halil Muftuoglu, Emre Nil, Ferhat Terkoglu, Hasan Basri Guner and Timur Ayan ü who, after prolonged and excruciating torture, were forced to sign false confessions to crimes against the state. According to the victimsí declarations and evidence gathered from several sources, but not reported by the Turkish press, the torture comprised electric shocks to the testicles, jets of freezing water and beatings with clubs wrapped in towels to avoid bruising. The torture was inflicted by officers and officials of the Istanbul directorate for organised crime, a body which is part of the Turkish governmentís criminal investigation department. All five are now being detained in Bayrampasa prison while awaiting trial. 1. Does the Commission not consider that these continuing grave violations of human rights provide a startling contradiction to the statements made by the Prime Minister, Mr Ecevit, and the entire Turkish government to the effect that the reform of the judicial system, which should facilitate Turkeyís accession to the EU, is already under way? 2. Does the President of the Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, not consider that the essentially positive opinion expressed by the Commissioner for enlargement, Mr Verheugen, after his recent visit to Istanbul, on the progress achieved by Turkey in this regard is largely unjustifiable, or at the very least, premature? 3. Should the Commission not ask the Turkish government to provide immediate explanations for the inhuman treatment of the five aforementioned prisoners before starting negotiations on the accession of Turkey to the European Union? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (10 May 2000) The Commission has been concerned about certain events relating to the human rights situation in Turkey that have occurred since the Helsinki European Council. On each occasion it has taken a firm stance. In general, it is asking the Turkish Government to show a clearer commitment to democratisation. This was the position taken by the Member of the Commission responsible for enlargement on his most recent visit to Turkey on 9 and 10 March 2000