Wie beurteilt der Rat angesichts der neuesten politischen Entwicklungen die Lage der Christen im Orient, insbesondere im Irak, in Syrien, Libanon und Ägypten, und welche Maßnahmen ergreift er, um diese gefährdete religiöse Minderheit zu unterstützen?

The present answer, which has been drawn up by the Presidency and is not binding on either the Council or its members as such, was not presented orally at Question Time to the Council during the September I 2011 part-session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Council is aware of the difficult times facing some long-established Christian communities in the Middle East, which have led to significant displacements in some countries and to a reduction of the presence of Christian communities in the region as a whole.

Following its discussion at its January meeting, the Council adopted on 21 February 2011 a set of conclusions on the issue of intolerance, discrimination and violence on the basis of religion and belief⁽¹⁾ by which it reaffirmed the strong commitment of the European Union to the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief without any discrimination, and recalled the comprehensive conclusions it adopted on 16 November 2009.

The Council expressed on that occasion its profound concern about the increasing number of acts of religious intolerance and discrimination, as epitomised by recent violence and acts of terrorism, in various countries, against Christians and their places of worship, Muslim pilgrims and other religious communities, which it firmly condemns. Regrettably, no part of the world is exempt from the scourge of religious intolerance.

The Council expressed its condolences and solidarity to the countries and individual victims of such acts and paid tribute to the commitment of countries to prevent them. It reaffirmed that freedom of religion or belief is a universal human right which needs to be protected everywhere and for everyone.

It recalled that the primary duty of States is to protect their citizens, including persons belonging to religious minorities, as well as all people living in their jurisdiction, and to safeguard their rights, and that all persons belonging to religious communities and minorities should be able to practice their religion and worship freely, individually or in community with others, without fear of intolerance and attacks.

It further observed that freedom of religion or belief is intrinsically linked to freedom of opinion and expression as well as to other human rights and fundamental freedoms, which all contribute to the building of pluralist and democratic societies, and that the international community needs to consolidate its collective response to those who want to use religion as an instrument of division, fuelling extremism and violence.

As part of the enhanced EU efforts in its bilateral and multilateral action on freedom of religion or belief, the EU and its Member States remain committed to the realisation of the freedom of religion or belief in all parts of the world, which will be addressed in the annual EU human rights reports.

The EU will continue to engage with partner countries and offer its cooperation to promote religious tolerance and to protect human rights. The EU will engage further in multilateral fora, in particular the UN, to rally strong cross-regional support in the fight against religious intolerance.

The EU and its Member States will continue to support initiatives in the field of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue in the spirit of openness, engagement and mutual understanding, including by the UN Alliance of Civilisations, UNESCO and the Anna Lindh Foundation.

The Council welcomed the ongoing efforts to enhance EU action to promote and protect freedom of religion or belief following the 2009 Council Conclusions. The Council invited the High Representative to report on the measures taken and on concrete proposals to further strengthen the EU action in this regard.

The issue of freedom of religion or belief is raised in the framework of human rights dialogues with the aim to urge third countries to eradicate discrimination and intolerance.

The EU Delegations, together with Member States' diplomatic missions, have a crucial role to play in this context. They have been invited to step up their action and reporting in this respect. Based on these actions and reporting from the various regions concerned, the EEAS is monitoring closely restrictions on freedom of religion or belief throughout the world, which will be addressed in the forthcoming EU annual human rights report.

What are the Council’s priorities, during its stewardship, for the European Globalisation Fund and what is its position on the possible merging of the European Globalisation Fund and the European Social Fund?

The present answer, which has been drawn up by the Presidency and is not binding on either the Council or its members as such, was not presented orally at Question Time to the Council during the September I 2011 part-session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) was established in 2006⁽¹⁾ with the main objective of providing support to workers affected by redundancies resulting from changes in world trade patterns.

In the light of the scale and speed of developments in the financial and economic crisis in 2008, a revision of this Regulation extended the scope of the EGF as part of Europe's crisis response until 31 December 2011⁽²⁾. The revision included the reduction from 1 000 to 500 of the required number of redundancies to trigger an application for EGF support and an extension from 12 to 24 months of the implementation period for EGF supported measures.

The Commission has now submitted a new proposal⁽³⁾ aiming at extending the crisis-related response for another 2 years until 31 December 2013 (i.e. the end of the current Multiannual Financial Framework).

The future of the EGF as such is linked to the negotiations on the new MFF (2014-2020) which have just started. Therefore, the current proposal on the extension of the 2009 Regulation until 31 December 2013 would be without prejudice to the negotiations on the future of the EGF. A first exchange of views on the Commission proposal has taken place within the Council on 19 July.

In any case, issues such a possible merging of the European Globalisation Fund and the European Social Fund would take place in the context of the next multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2014-2020 that has been presented by the Commission on 29 June⁽⁴⁾ and that has not yet been discussed within the Council.

Today, activists in Colombia continue to be threatened and murdered. 206 attacks against human rights defenders (of which 34 were assassinated) and 233 attacks against union activists (of which 24 were assassinated) took place under the current government. The Council says it attaches the highest importance to the effective implementation of the human rights clause included in the treaty signed with Colombia.

How is it then possible that it plans to ratify it if the basic principles supporting the rule of law are not even respected?

Does the Council consider that a country that holds the gruesome world record for the most trade unionists assassinated (54% of the world total) respects human rights?

The present answer, which has been drawn up by the Presidency and is not binding on either the Council or its members as such, was not presented orally at Question Time to the Council during the September I 2011 part-session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The Council will only be in a position to take a view on the content of a Multiparty Trade Agreement with Peru and Colombia once it receives the relevant proposals for Decisions on signature and conclusion from the Commission.

In the negotiating directives adopted by the Council in 2007, human rights were given a pivotal role in the architecture and implementation of the future agreement. The inclusion of a solid “essential elements clause” was a precondition for the conclusion of the negotiations. The Commission has since confirmed that the Multiparty Trade Agreement, in addition to its important commercial elements, will contain an essential mechanism for the protection of human and labour rights.

While it is clear that there have been significant steps made to improve the human rights situation in Columbia, the Council is aware of the ongoing threats and attacks faced by human rights activists and trade unionists. The Colombian government has put in place measures to protect vulnerable persons and groups. The current protection programme covers more than 11,000 persons. The Council is following the situation with regard to respect for human and labour rights closely and will take them duly into account when deciding on the signing and the conclusion of the Multiparty Trade Agreement with Colombia and Peru.

The EU regularly raises the issue of human rights and in particular the need to guarantee the personal safety of human rights defenders and trade unionists in Colombia in the context of the bilateral human rights dialogue which is held twice a year with the Colombian government.

A few weeks ago, Commissioner de Gucht raised this point with President Santos, who gave Mr de Gucht reassurances about the definite and resolute course set for his country toward the full restoration in law and practice of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

A sustainable improvement of the human rights situation in Colombia requires that the root causes of violence, which include poverty, social exclusion and the lack of means of income generation in some parts of the country be addressed with economic development and social cohesion measures. The Trade Agreement, coupled with our efforts in the development cooperation field, could provide a meaningful contribution to economic development, job creation and poverty reduction.

Με αφορμή την υπουργική διάσκεψη στην έδρα της Διεθνούς Υπηρεσίας Ατομικής Ενέργειας (IAEA) στη Βιέννη (20-24 Ιουνίου 2011), με θέμα την πυρηνική ασφάλεια, όπου ακόμα μια φορά αναφέρθηκε η υποχρέωση της κάθε χώρας να εξασφαλίζει την πυρηνική ασφάλεια και τον έλεγχο των πυρηνικών σταθμών, ερωτάται το Συμβούλιο:

Είναι αποδεκτή η πρόταση της IAEA για πιο ενεργό ρόλο της στη διεξαγωγή τακτικών ελέγχων στις χώρες που χρησιμοποιούν πυρηνική ενέργεια;

Θεωρεί ότι οι τυχαίοι έλεγχοι που προτείνει η IAEA αρκούν για επαρκή προφύλαξη από πυρηνικό ατύχημα;

Δεδομένου του σχεδίου της υποψήφιας προς ένταξη Τουρκίας για πυρηνικό σταθμό στην ιδιαίτερα σεισμογενή περιοχή του Ακουγιού και έχοντας υπόψη τη συνεχή της άρνηση για συνεργασία σε θέματα πυρηνικής ασφάλειας, ποια θα είναι η προσέγγιση της πολωνικής προεδρίας στο θέμα αυτό;

Πώς προτίθεται να προωθήσει το ζήτημα της μεγαλύτερης ασφάλειας σε περίπτωση που ένα υποψήφιο προς ένταξη κράτος παραβλέπει την επικίνδυνη σεισμικότητα και επιμένει στην ανάπτυξη του πυρηνικού του προγράμματος σε μια αποδεδειγμένα σεισμογενή περιοχή;

The present answer, which has been drawn up by the Presidency and is not binding on either the Council or its members as such, was not presented orally at Question Time to the Council during the September I 2011 part-session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

The March 2011 European Council stressed that the safety of all EU nuclear plants should be reviewed, on the basis of a comprehensive and transparent risk and safety assessment ("stress tests"), and that the EU will request that similar "stress tests" be carried out in neighbouring countries and worldwide, regarding both existing and planned plants. The European Council underlined that the priority of ensuring the safety of nuclear plants cannot stop at the EU borders, noting that full use should be made of international organisations and that the highest standards for nuclear safety should be promoted internationally⁽¹⁾.

The Council has consistently highlighted including in the Negotiating Framework of Turkey the importance of and support for high standards of nuclear safety and security and a high level of environmental protection throughout the European Union and regarding third countries⁽²⁾.

The Council has also invited Turkey to prioritise the development of an adequate framework for nuclear safety (legislation and administrative capacity) inter alia by acceding to the Joint Convention on the Safety of spent fuel management and radio-active waste management as soon as possible, with a view to ensure the implementation of the highest standards for nuclear safety, in accordance with the European Council Conclusions of 25 March.

More generally, the Council recalls that at their meeting on 23 June 2011 with Commissioner Oettinger Deputy Ministers of Energy and senior representatives of the Ministries of Energy and national authorities responsible for nuclear energy of the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Croatia, Republic of Turkey, Russian Federation, Swiss Confederation and Ukraine, in cooperation with the EU, agreed to engage on a multilateral level and with the IAEA in discussions on strong and common safety standards as well as on an international peer review.

The Council is encouraging all states embarking on a nuclear power programme to make full use of Safety Review Missions conducted by IAEA, and calls for transparent communication on any outcome of any such mission.

National responsibility for nuclear safety are dealt with by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conventions, such as the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS), to which Turkey as well as Euratom and most of the EU Member States are parties. In this context, the review conference under the CNS provides the occasion to exert peer pressure on other parties regarding the safety of their installations and the way they implement the relevant provisions of the Convention in this respect, including regarding the sitting of installations. The strengthening of CNS is being discussed since the Fifth Review meeting of the CNS (April 2011, Vienna), and will be further raised in the framework of several upcoming events, such as the 55th IAEA General Conference (September 2011, Vienna) and the Extraordinary Review Meeting of the CNS (August 2012).

A more active role of the IAEA will be part of the implementation of the IAEA Draft Action Plan to be adopted by the IAEA General Conference 19-23 September 2011 in Vienna. Apart from looking into ways and means to strengthen the nuclear legal framework, in particular taking measures to strengthen implementation of the Conventions, the existing inspection and peer review systems will be enlarged in the future.

Prasidėjus diskusijoms dėl naujos finansinės perspektyvos (2014–2020 m.), iškyla daug klausimų dėl bendros žemės ūkio politikos (BŽŪP) finansavimo po 2013 m. Lietuvos ir kitų šalių žemdirbiai ne kartą tvirtino, kad bet kokia BŽŪP reforma turėtų laikytis esminių principų, tokių kaip BŽŪP koordinavimas Bendrijos lygiu, kad būtų išlaikytas tolygus finansavimo paskirstymas naujoms ir senoms ES narėms ir kad būtų išlaikytos gamtą tausojančios ūkio gamybos skatinimo priemonės. Didelį nerimą kelia vis dar netolygus paramos žemdirbiams paskirstymas, laikantis „dviejų greičių politikos“, t. y. kai išskiriamos senosios ir naujosios ES narės.

Kokie yra Lenkijos pirmininkavimo prioritetai žemės ūkio srityje?

Ką ketinama daryti, kad būtų išvengta minėtos „dviejų greičių politikos“?

Kokie yra Lenkijos pirmininkavimo planai dėl kitos finansinės perspektyvos, kokios lėšos numatomos BŽŪP finansuoti?

Kokių priemonių Taryba imsis, kad būtų užtikrinta darni ir gamtą tausojanti žemės ūkio sektoriaus plėtra Europoje?

The present answer, which has been drawn up by the Presidency and is not binding on either the Council or its members as such, was not presented orally at Question Time to the Council during the September I 2011 part-session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

On 12 July 2011 the Polish Presidency presented the priorities in the field of agriculture in the Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. These priorities are also included in the Polish Presidency's work programme for agriculture and fisheries which was presented to the Council on 19 July⁽¹⁾.

The future of the Common Agricultural Policy is one of those priorities. The European Commission has announced that it will submit to the European Parliament and the Council a package of legislative proposals concerning, among others, the system of direct payments and the policy of rural development and market regulation. The Council will examine these proposals as soon as they are transmitted by the Commission. One of the Presidency's objectives will be to identify a basis for an agreement on a new system of direct payments, based on objective rather than historical criteria⁽²⁾. In this context, the Polish Presidency recalls that in the Hungarian Presidency's conclusions on the future of the CAP, dated 17 March 2011⁽³⁾, supported by 20 Member States, the Council recognized the need for a more equitable distribution of direct income support between Member States stepwise reducing the link to historical references, and having regard to the overall context of the future EU budget.

As regards the Polish Presidency's plans on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework, the Council has started working on the Commission's package: the Communication "A budget for Europe 2020"⁽⁴⁾ and the proposal for a Regulation laying down the multiannual framework for the years 2014-2020⁽⁵⁾, according to the common approach worked out by the Hungarian, Polish, Danish and Cypriot Presidencies⁽⁶⁾.

Finally, as regards measures to ensure sustainability of the agricultural sector, the Council will address this issue in discussions on the future CAP. The Polish Presidency recalls that, in the abovementioned Presidency conclusions, sustainable management of natural resources is identified as one of the three main objectives for the future CAP.

Președinția poloneză a Consiliului UE și-a propus ca pe perioada mandatului să se angajeze în acțiuni de creștere economică și în acțiuni menite să ajute la prosperitatea cetățenilor UE. Noul plan economic al UE pentru următorii 10 ani menționează mobilitatea forței de muncă drept o condiție esențială pentru reducerea șomajului. Rata șomajului a crescut îngrijorător în timpul crizei, ajungând de la 6,8% (în mai 2008) la 9,9 (în mai 2011). Libertatea de circulație a persoanelor constituie una dintre libertățile fundamentale garantate de tratate, acest lucru incluzând dreptul cetățenilor UE de a trăi și de a lucra în alt stat membru.

Aș dori să întreb președinția poloneză a Consiliul, care sunt măsurile concrete pe care le are în vedere pentru asigurarea liberei circulații a forței de muncă în cadrul UE, și în special pentru ridicarea barierelor privind lucrătorii români și bulgari?

The present answer, which has been drawn up by the Presidency and is not binding on either the Council or its members as such, was not presented orally at Question Time to the Council during the September I 2011 part-session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Freedom of movement for persons is one of the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Treaty and the secondary legislation. This includes the right of EU citizens to live and work in other Member States of the EU. Polish Presidency underlines the necessity of stimulating of the economic growth and development of the internal market of the European Union. In that extend the Polish Presidency pays the attention especially to the actions aim at supporting of the mobility of young people and the implementation of the Single Market Act.

As for the temporary restrictions provided by the Accession Treaties, it is to be recalled that it is up to each EU-25 Member State still applying restrictions for Romanian and Bulgarian workers to assess the impacts to its labour markets and to decide whether to continue or to ease the remaining restrictions before the end of the transitional period in December 2013. Accession Treaties do not give a power to the Council nor to the Presidency to take the initiative in order to spread the access to the labour markets of the Member States for Romanian and Bulgarian workers. However, the Council has invited those Member States that continue to apply restrictions under the transitional arrangements set out in the Accession Treaties to lift restrictions in the third phase if serious disturbances to the labour markets of the Member States concerned, or a threat of thereof, cannot be established.⁽¹⁾

Currently, following Member States have opened their labour markets completely to the workers from the 2007 accession countries: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden. Most of the Member States that have maintained restrictions have simplified their procedures or have reduced restrictions in some sectors/professions. These countries must lift the remaining restrictions by 31 December 2011 unless a country informs the Commission before that date that it will continue to apply them because of serious disturbances in its labour market. In this case, restrictions in the third phase of the transitional arrangements may apply until 31 December 2013 at the latest.⁽²⁾