Mr President, Commissioner, the French study confirms the finding that as regards BSE there are no definite scientific criteria regarding the cause, transmission and the incubation period, including for the human variant of BSE. Rather, the only thing that is certain is that BSE cannot be transmitted horizontally. This basic uncertainty and risk, including with regard to human health, not only applies in England but in France as well. There is no scientific certainty that there is no risk of BSE either in Great Britain or in France or, for that matter, in other European countries. In other words, the only absolute guarantee against becoming infected by BSE is if people do without animal protein completely or, qualifying that somewhat, if they purchase products where they can be sure that BSE has not occurred in the herd in question. The tragic fact, however, is that those people who are affected today were most probably infected in the mid eighties to early nineties. The risk of becoming infected with BSE in Europe today is considerably less, very slight indeed, although there are no guarantees. An embargo or an export ban does not fight BSE, rather it is simply a means of containing the disease and a way of implementing the European safety standards which the Commission has enacted. This has been the case in Great Britain, England and Portugal. Our Group has always maintained that this is not an English disease but a European problem. Thus, the criteria that are now leading to the lifting of the embargo are in keeping with the safety criteria which the Commission has laid down. English beef is also eaten in England, and always has been. The European institutions, those of us who are politically active at a European level, also have to provide care for English consumers as well as make provision for them. Even if national provision is an overriding priority, it should also be a matter of concern for us. One simply cannot say that they should be left to their own devices! It is clearly not possible to limit the incidence of BSE to certain parts of the body, as has been discussed previously. As you are aware, BSE or prions indicating the presence of BSE have been found in blood, even if these tests have not yet been validated. In other words, even though removing risk material is no absolute guarantee of safety, it is a valid safety measure, since in the carcass, of course, we have a decreasing order of incidence. Commissioner, I have two further points to put to the Commission. You are also personally aware, through your exchange of letters with our Group, that we have always said that the lifting of the embargo must be associated with the introduction of tests. You have three tests that have been validated, and yet you are not applying them. It was a safety measure, Mr Fischler, but at the same time also a psychological one. We could have spared ourselves this Anglo-French conflict, also involving Germany to some extent. My second point is as follows: You know that, back in 1997, Parliament wanted to introduce the label I for beef, a measure that was designed to safeguard consumers and allow them to make a decision. This was to have come into force on 1 January 2000. Instead of enacting the implementing regulations, you are now putting proposals to us to defer this labelling for three years. That is not a measure that engenders confidence! Finally, I would like to come to the question of the Agency. An Agency is sensible and appropriate. You may also choose to call it an Agency but let us not get onto the slippery slope in this discussion where we start saying that we should have an independent Agency which the European Parliament will no longer have supervisory access to. We want to retain control. We did, after all, also sort out the BSE problem here in the European Parliament!

Political group: Verts-ALE