WRITTEN QUESTION E-1755/99 by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Costs of employing Mr Hombach and his staff.
C 203 E/36 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 7. 2000 to conduct checks and maintain surveillance along external borders; finally, the Member States concerned have undertaken to assist each other and maintain constant, close cooperation with a view to the effective exercise of checks and surveillance. From the data supplied by the Honourable Member the Commission cannot conclude that Italy is failing to meet these commitments entered into under the Schengen agreement and now incorporated into the Union framework. (2000/C 203 E/044) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1743/99 by Hanja Maij-Weggen (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Enforcement of CITES Regulation (1 October 1999) On 2 June 1999 a shipment of 35 Fennec foxes and 10 Demoiselle cranes (both in Appendix II of CITES) were flown by Lufthansa Cargo from Sudan to Frankfurt and from there to Johannesburg. On arrival at Johannesburg, three foxes were dead, one was dying and the others were in distress. Owing to the condition of the animals and a lack of proper health certification, the remaining 31 foxes were sent back to the Sudan, again via Frankfurt. The suffering of the foxes would have been alleviated if the proper obligatory veterinary checks had been carried out at Frankfurt airport. Would the Commission say what steps it has taken to ensure that the conditions of the CITES Regulation are being enforced at airports in the EU, particularly Frankfurt, through which many millions of animals pass every year? Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission (12 November 1999) The Commission regrets that the terms of Article 9(5) of Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (1) appear not to have been respected in the case mentioned by the Honourable Member. The Commission intends to draw the attention of the enforcement group, as set up by Article 14 of the Regulation, to this particular incident as well as to the control of transport of live animal specimens under International air transport association (IATA) live animal regulations and the necessity of appropriate controls at airports and other places of import for transit or transhipment purposes in the Community. (1) OJ L 61, 3. 3. 1997, p. 1. (2000/C 203 E/045) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1755/99 by Klaus-Heiner Lehne (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Costs of employing Mr Hombach and his staff (1 October 1999) On 10 June 1999 EU foreign ministers appointed Mr Bodo Hombach Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. This gives rise to the following questions: 1. Which persons are on Mr Hombachís staff, and by which Member States have they been sent? 2. What are the staffing costs for employing Mr Hombach and his staff? 3. What proportion of the costs of employing Mr Hombach and his team comes from the EU budget? 18. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 203 E/37 4. What contribution does each Member State have to make towards the staffing costs? 5. Has the Federal Republic of Germany promised the other Member States that it will provide the majority of staff and bear the main share of staffing costs? 6. Have individual Member States indicated that they will not contribute to staffing costs? 7. How are staffing costs to be financed in the next few years? Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission (9 November 1999) The staff of the stability pact co-ordinator has only been partially constituted. Currently, 20 staff 1. members have taken up their functions: three deputy special-coordinators (1 Netherlands, 1 Finland, 1 United States); one head of cabinet (Germany); one deputy head of cabinet and spokesman (United Kingdom); one advisor (Italy); one personal assistant (Germany), one accountant (United Kingdom ü provisional); one expert (presidency: Finland ü until 31 December 1999); 8 experts (Denmark, Germany, France, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia, United States); 1 secretary (Netherlands/Commission); 1 regional affairs expert (Macedonia, resident in Berlin, provided on fully funded basis). Nine other team members, including one financial affairs expert, one expert and seven secretaries are not yet appointed. 2, 3. and 4. The total personnel costs of the mission of Mr Hombach and his staff supported by the Community budget are for the period August-December 1999 foreseen to be € 168 419 (mission costs not included). This amount does not include salaries and related costs of those staff members seconded, as a contribution in kind, by Member States. The Commission is not informed of the total financial cost involved in the referred secondments and is consequently unable to provide an estimate of the total personnel costs involved. No. There is no specific provision on the number or percentage of staff members to be provided by 5. Germany or any other state. No Member State has excluded the possibility of seconding staff to the team and consequently of 6. assuming the respective salary and related costs. 7. The relevant Joint Action (1999/523/CFSP, Article 1, paragraph 3) establishes that áthe EU shall, by providing its Special Representative with the necessary human and logistical resources, make a substantial contribution to his functions also as special Co-ordinator. The European Union looks to the other participants in the Stability Pact also to make an equitable contribution to the functioning of the Pactí. The Community contribution for future financing of the stability pact structure will have to be determined both by the requirements of the Pact and by the willingness of other participants to make such an equitable contribution. (2000/C 203 E/046) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1756/99 by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Council (1 October 1999) Subject: Murder of another Greek Cypriot in the occupied territories of Cyprus The appalling murder of another Greek Cypriot ü his name was Stelios Charpas ü in the occupied territories of Cyprus by Turkish settlers has caused great alarm and a climate of panic among the Greek- Cypriot population in the enclave. Given that in its resolution of 10 April 1997 (B4-0286/97) (1) the European Parliament stated that it 6condemns once again, and in the strongest terms, the serious and persistent violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms suffered by the persons in the enclave which have been committed by the illegal occupying regime, and the intransigence on the part of the latterí and ácalls for much greater awareness on the part of the UN and the bodies of the European Union, in particular the Council and the Commission, with a view to preparing and carrying out any action which they may deem necessary, including humanitarian action, aimed at improving the living conditions of the persons in the enclaveí, will the Council say: