WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2405/98 by Leonie van BLADEL to the Council. Plans to halve Britain's nuclear strength
14. 5. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 135/51 − what action does the Council intend to take to prevent, in future, any direct or indirect collusion or connivance with the war criminal Radovan Karadzic and to strengthen the European institutions’ cooperation with the ad hoc Tribunal dealing with war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia? Reply (14 December 1998) The Council thanks the Honourable Member for having drawn its attention to this matter. The Council regrets that, due to the nature of the question, it cannot provide the information requested. But the Council has handed over the text of the Honourable Member’s question to the authorities of Italy and Liechtenstein who are looking into the questions raised. As concerns the strengthening of the European institutions’ cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, the Council would like to point out that cooperation with ICTY is first and foremost the responsibility of individual member States. Nevertheless, the Council has always put its political support behind the work of ICTY and has made cooperation with the tribunal an important aspect for assessing compliance by the successor states of former Yugoslavia with the Dayton Peace Accords. (1999/C 135/059) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2405/98 by Leonie van Bladel (UPE) to the Council (28 July 1998) Subject: Plans to halve Britain’s nuclear strength Has the Council noted the British Government’s plans to halve the nuclear strength of its armed 1. forces? Does the Council not consider it necessary for the British Government to discuss such sweeping 2. measures with its NATO and EU partners before taking a decision? Is the Council prepared to request the British Government to proceed to a reduction in the number of 3. its nuclear warheads only when the following conditions are satisfied: a) The coherence of the strike power of European defence is not undermined by the reduction in the number of British warheads, at the very time when many EU Member States are cutting back on defence; b) Russia has ratified the START Treaty; c) India and Pakistan sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty? Reply (16 November 1998) As the Honourable Member is certainly aware, national measures pertaining to defence are not discussed in the Council. (1999/C 135/060) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2410/98 by Guido Podestà (PPE) to the Commission (17 July 1998) Subject: Trans-European transport networks: opening of Malpensa airport The appeals made by a number of European airlines about the transfer of air traffic from Linate to Malpensa could imply that there is a prejudice against the Lombard airport despite the fact that it forms