WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1154/98 by José APOLINÁRIO to the Council. European Agency for the Oceans
21. 10. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 323/115 What valid reasons were there for the cancellation of the Council Presidentís visit to the Head of State of a friendly government? Does the Council intend to isolate Croatia, at a time when numerous ministers are going to Belgrade to visit Mr Milosevic? Is this a manoeuvre to compel Croatia, which has traditionally been a state oriented towards the West, to belong to the Balkans, which is evidently the plan of certain leading officials in the Commission? Answer (6 July 1998) The President of the Council was obliged to cancel his planned visit to Zagreb, at short notice, in order to be able to travel to Belgrade to present the Unionís position on the situation in Kosovo to President Milosevic. The Croatian authorities were fully informed of the reason. The Council would welcome concrete action by Croatia, particularly to bring about the return of refugees, in accordance with its international obligations. The Councilís position as regards Croatiaís European aspirations is governed by the regional approach and the policy of conditionality. (98/C 323/176) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1154/98 by Jose· Apolina·rio (PSE) to the Council (28 April 1998) Subject: European Agency for the Oceans With reference to the International Year of the Oceans and the organization of an exhibition on the subject of oceans (Expo 98), does the Council not consider that the establishment of a European Agency for the Oceans should be encourages? What does the Council think of the merits of such a project? To date the Council has received no proposal on the subject from the Commission. Answer (6 July 1998) (98/C 323/177) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1176/98 by Ulf Holm (V) to the Council (23 April 1998) Subject: Swedish language under threat For a number of years, the European Patent Organization, EPO, has persistently raised the question of changing the rules governing patent applications in Europe. The EPO is now proposing that only a small part of a patent should need to be translated into the language of the country in which the application for a patent is made. Under the proposal, it should in the main be sufficient to translate the whole of the patent into English, German and French. The implications of the proposal are that the position in the EU of languages such as Swedish would be severely restricted. It is also an attack on our democratic principles. Swedish citizens would lose their right to read documents nationally applicable in Sweden in their own language. Does the Council consider that this proposal is in keeping with the democratic principles whereby every EU citizen should have the right of access to applicable documents in their own language? What does the Council intend to do to prevent the marginalisation of certain languages in the EU? Does the Council consider that the number of official languages in the EU should be limited with the forthcoming enlargement in view?