Madam President, Commissioner Byrne, on behalf of the , I in turn would like to thank our rapporteur, Mr Nisticò, for the quality and rigour of his work. It is a great pity he is not here this evening to reap the rewards, as it were. That said, I am glad that this joint text was adopted in the Conciliation Committee. It was vital to ensure the same high level of safety of blood donations and transfusions throughout the Union, just as all the improvements made to the legislative text throughout the procedure were vital. These improvements included, first of all, a great victory for blood donors and patients: the insertion of a specific chapter on blood monitoring which covers traceability and notification of incidents and serious unwanted reactions. The believed this to be particularly important, quite simply, I would say, because the need for this type of monitoring requires no further proof in Europe. Blood monitoring networks are a vital tool for making the transfusion chain as safe as possible. On the thorny issue of benevolent donations, my interpretation differs from that of Mr Lund. I am pleased to see that common sense has won the day, as of the second reading. I welcome the fact that the joint text, while strongly encouraging voluntary, benevolent donations – which is the aim of Article 20 – allows the Member States room for manoeuvre to use remunerated donors in a strictly-regulated environment. I need not remind you that the Union imports no less than 50% of plasma-derived therapeutic products, and that haemophiliacs, patients suffering from serious burns and other patients desperately need these products. In this regard, determined implementation of a policy to provide patients with recombinant factors is more necessary than ever in Europe. The also wanted the text to contain a reference to scientific and technical progress. This concern was addressed in Article 29, which, in particular, lays down clear guidelines for establishments performing blood transfusions. Lastly, the conciliation procedure has put the finishing touches to the excellent work carried out by the three institutions on this matter. The only point of contention, which I shall mention briefly, is the matter of medical examination prior to donation, which has already been raised. I am pleased, once again, that the Conciliation Committee considers it sufficient to require this examination to be carried out by a qualified health professional. I believe it is silly, as I have said since first reading, to go against certain national practices that give excellent results. I am thinking in particular, although not exclusively, of the awareness campaigns and donations in mobile units that could come to an end if we were to require the presence of a doctor. The European Union is not immune to accidents, of course, or even the appearance of a new virus. North America is currently experiencing a blood product safety alert caused by a virus from a western island. We must therefore increase monitoring, apply the early detection principle for any use of blood, and ensure traceability from donor to recipient. That is the price of establishing a blood chain that will renew the confidence of European citizens.

Political group: ELDR