WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3502/98 by Esko SEPPÄNEN to the Commission. The Wassenaar Committee
C 142/140 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 21. 5. 1999 (1999/C 142/183) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3501/98 by Glenys Kinnock (PSE) to the Commission (25 November 1998) Subject: Unilateral investment sanctions If an EU Member State were to impose unilateral financial sanctions on Burma (on serious political grounds and as a matter of urgency under Article 73g (2) of the EC Treaty), would the Commission propose that the Council overturn the Member State’s decision or bring proceedings against that Member State on the grounds of a perceived breach of Community law? Answer given by Mr Monti on behalf of the Commission (15 January 1999) The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to her Written Question E-2119/98 (1). It is not Commission policy to answer hypothetical questions. (1) OJ C 96, 8. 4. 1999. (1999/C 142/184) WRITTEN QUESTION P-3502/98 by Esko Seppänen (GUE/NGL) to the Commission (12 November 1998) Subject: The Wassenaar Committee Within the framework of the EU there is a body known as the Wassenaar committee, whose work is alleged to include studying the encryption of data communications and coding systems. Its secretariat is in Vienna. What duties does this Committee have, what is its status within the EU and in what form are the encryption plans it has presumably put forward dealt with by the EU? Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (3 December 1998) The Wassenaar arrangement is the successor to the Coordination committee for export to communist area (COCOM) regime. Definitively implemented with the adoption of ‘initial elements’ in July 1996 by 33 founding members including the United States, Russia and all Union Member States, it deals with export controls and information-exchange related to dual-use items and conventional arms. The Community as such is not party to the arrangement. The items covered by the Wassenaar arrangement include encryption products. As the entire Wassenaar dual-use list is integrated into the Union list of controlled dual-use products (Council Decision 942/ 94CFSP of 19 December 1994 on the joint action adopted by the Council of the basis of Article J. 3 of the Treaty on European Union concerning the control of exports of dual-use goods (1) as subsequently amended), encrypted products covered by the Wassenaar list are subject to control when exported from the Community. Any changes to control scope in Wassenaar (for instance decontrol of certain items) lead to corresponding changes in the Union list. The arrangement has a permanent secretariat based in Vienna. Information about the work of the arrangement can be found on the Website www. wassenaar. org. (1) OJ L 367, 31. 12. 1994