Brussels, 11/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has asked for the European Court of Justice to be able to represent people appearing on the list of terrorist organisations established by the European Union, at the European Court of Justice, to examine whether their being placed on the list is legal. The Parliament has included this request in the Opinion for a Commission proposal for amending European regulation on the freezing of Taliban and Al Quaida assets, adopted on Thursday by a very large majority (303 for, 28 against and 9 abstentions). MEPs approved by a single vote the 14 amendments for a proposal for a regulation jointly submitted by the EPP-DE, PES, ELDR, Greens/ALE, GUE/NGL groups and Maurizio Turco (TDI).
The Parliament has requested that the Court of Justice is competent if someone on the list directly appeals to the court and if it is asked by a court in a Member State on an issue concerning the interpretation of a regulation. In its amendments, the EP refers to the fact that several European Union citizens whose assets have been frozen on the basis of a previous regulation are on the list annexed to the proposal for the regulation, "whereas no legal action had been enacted and no proof provided". Several MEPs, particularly from the Green Group, have already given their support to Swedish nationals appearing on the list who have appealed to the Court of Justice to decide on derogations to "guarantee respect for human rights". MEPs are also calling for the Council to establish a mechanism for revising this list, not only in the European Community but also at the UN Sanctions Committee, which adopted the list in the European Commission proposal (see EUROPE yesterday page 16). MEPs would like to fix a limit on the application of the regulation: they are requesting that it expires on the same day as the United Nations resolutions on which they are based. The European Parliament has asked to be regularly updated on the application of the regulation.
The Opinion of the European Parliament is consultative and not binding on Member States, which are responsible for adopting the regulation. The proposal, which is just at an examination stage by the Council technical groups, will not be on the General Affairs Council agenda on Monday, the Council pointed out.
The GUE/NGL, explained Giuseppe Di Lello, voted against this regulation due in part to the proceedings (it's the fourth time that they've voted on terrorism according to emergency procedure without a report or debate), which in fact (means voting on a list given to the UN by the CIA without any proof or possibility of accessing possible evidence).
Giuseppe Di Lello, Monica Frassoni, (co-president of the Green Group), Luciana Sbarbati (Liberal Group) and the Radical, Mauritzio Turco, denounced the consolidation and use since 11 September of "unjustified emergency procedure" and committed themselves to launching, "a common initiative against political emergency procedures, which weaken the fundamental principles of democracy and the State of Law, which is the aim of the terrorists".