91999E0456

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0456/99

by Concepció Ferrer (PPE) to the Commission

(5 March 1999)

Subject: Customs Union with Turkey

On 17 September 1998 the European Parliament approved a resolution (A4-0251/98)(1) on the Customs Union with Turkey, with a view to implementing action to enable Turkey to achieve economic and social development as part of the strategy to achieve alignment with the EC and strengthen relations.

Can the Commission tell me what measures it has taken or is going to take in order to implement Parliament's proposals, with particular reference to steps to strengthen Turkey's legislation on intellectual property or to bring it into line with EC legislation, so as to combat plagiarism?

Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(13 April 1999)

The Commission is following closely the steps Turkey is taking to meet its obligations under the Customs Union, in particular as regards the protection of intellectual, industrial and commercial property rights. In the most recent of its regular reports on Turkey(2), it stated that the standard of such protection has improved in Turkey since the Customs Union came into force, but that a number of measures still needed to be taken before 1 January 1999. It is examining measures recently taken by the Turkish authorities to this end.

To date the Commission has been informed of few infringements but it is ready to examine any submission of a properly reasoned specific case.

(1) OJ C 313, 12.10.1998, p. 176.

(2) COM(98) 711 final.