ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 18 June 1996

on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

(96/C 194/01)

The Council of Ministers for Health expresses its satisfaction that the issue of TSEs (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies), which constitutes a problem in the field of public health, has been brought to its attention, in order to discuss the appropriate measures aimed at protecting public health, which must in all cases be a top priority.

In welcoming the working document of the Commission services, the Council would recall that Health Ministers already discussed this problem at the Council meeting on 30 March 1994 during the Greek Presidency, at the request of the German Government.

The Council, taking into account the best available scientific data, and on the basis of the fundamental need for precaution, considers it necessary that all appropriate measures be taken to eliminate the risk of possible transmission of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy).

To that end, it recommends the following measures:

- implementation of mechanisms to monitor the scientific evidence relating to the causes and transmission of CJD (Creutzfeld-Jacob disease) so that the appropriate public health protection measures to be adopted can be determined in a timely manner,

- entrusting, as an essential and urgent measure, the multidisciplinary scientific committee, for which provision was already made in the conclusions of the Council of Ministers for Agriculture of 29 April 1996, with the launching of its activities for the purpose of giving scientific advice to the Commission and making recommendations on matters of Community competence, in particular suggestions relating to specific policies to combat TSEs,

- extension to all Member States of the epidemiological surveillance of CJD using the same methods as have been applied in five Member States,

- encouragement of exchanges between Member States of experience and expertise in the areas of control and diagnosis of cases,

- further studies and research into TSEs, including CJD.

This issue is to remain before the Council on a continuing basis for further consideration.
COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 12 November 1996 on a strategy towards blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community (96/C 374/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

RECALLING the Commission communication of 25 May 1993 on self-sufficiency in blood in the European Community and the Council conclusions of 13 December 1993 (1);

RECALLING the Commission's communication of 21 December 1994 on blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community and the Council resolution of 2 June 1995 (2);

TAKES NOTE of the resolution of 14 July 1995 of the European Parliament on blood safety in the European Union (3);

TAKES NOTE of the resolution of 17 April 1996 of the European Parliament on the communication from the Commission on blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community (4);

ACKNOWLEDGES the work of the Council of Europe in the blood transfusion area;

TAKES NOTE of the conclusions and recommendations agreed unanimously by the colloquium on blood safety and self-sufficiency held at Adare, Ireland, on 4 to 6 September 1996;

RECALLS that these conclusions and recommendations take account of the meeting of experts on public awareness relating to blood, held in Rome in April 1996;

AGREES that the conclusions and recommendations of the Adare colloquium provide for concrete steps in order to realize the strategy called for in previous resolutions towards promoting blood safety, in particular to reinforce trust and confidence in the safety of the blood-transfusion chain, and towards promoting self-sufficiency in the Community;

REITERATES that Community self-sufficiency must be based on the principle of voluntary and unpaid blood donations;

REQUESTS that steps be taken to ensure that rapid progress is made in taking forward this work;

Accordingly:

- INVITES the Member States to review their policies, procedures and programmes aimed at ensuring the safety of the blood-transfusion chain in the light of the conclusions and recommendations of the Adare colloquium on blood safety and self-sufficiency, towards achieving the objectives set out in this resolution,

- INVITES the Commission to submit proposals as a matter of urgency in support of the actions of the Member States, with a view to encouraging the development of a coordinated approach to the safety of blood and blood products, taking into account the aforementioned resolutions and using the conclusions and recommendations of the Adare colloquium on blood safety and self-sufficiency as a basis for its work.

(1) OJ No C 15, 18. 1. 1994, p. 6.

(2) OJ No C 164, 30. 6. 1995, p. 1.

(3) OJ No C 249, 25. 9. 1995, p. 231.

(4) OJ No C 141, 13. 5. 1996, p. 131.
Information from the Commission - New composition of the Consumer Committee



Official Journal C 093 , 28/03/1998 P. 0022 - 0022



New composition of the Consumer Committee (98/C 93/03) (The Consumer Committee was set up by Commission Decision 95/260/EC of 13 June 1995 (1)) By Decision of 18 March 1998, the Commission has appointed the following persons as full and alternate members of the Consumer Committee for a period of two years: >TABLE> (1) OJ L 162, 13.7.1995, p. 37.
COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS of 30 April 1998 on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) (98/C 169/02)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

REFERRING to the Council conclusions of 18 June 1996 and of 12 November 1996 on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) (1);

RECALLING the Council conclusions of 7 October 1996 on research on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and related human diseases;

NOTES the initiatives taken by the European Parliament in relation to BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and in particular its resolution (2) adopted on 19 February 1997;

NOTES the current epidemiological data relating to CJD, supplied by the Member States, and also the developments which have taken place, since its conclusions of 12 November 1996, in relation to the monitoring and surveillance of CJD in the Member States and at the Community level;

NOTES the action which has been taken in relation to:

- protection of workers exposed to the agents responsible for BSE and related animal TSEs,

- the review of guidelines adopted by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products aimed at minimising the risk of transmission, via medicinal products, of the agents responsible for TSEs,

- the provision of funds from the Community budget for TSE research under the fourth framework programme established by Decision No 1110/94/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3);

WELCOMES the intention of the Commission to submit, as soon as possible after the next International Office of Epizootics (OIE) session in May 1998, a scientifically based proposal in the field of specified risk materials;

ATTACHES particular importance to such a proposal with regard to specific problems, such as the exclusion of specified risk materials from the food chain and a specific risk assessment with regard to medicinal products and medical devices;

REAFFIRMS the importance of extending to all Member States the epidemiological surveillance of CJD using the same methods as have been applied in the project funded through the Community's Biomed programme, and of Member States continuing to exchange experience and expertise in the diagnosis of cases;

WELCOMES the cooperation between the Commission and the World Health Organisation on matters related to TSEs;

AGREES to keep the issue under consideration.

(1) OJ C 194, 5.7.1996, p. 1 and OJ C 374, 11.12.1996, p. 2.

(2) OJ C 85, 17.3.1997, p. 61.

(3) OJ L 126, 18.5.1994, p. 1.
COMMISSION COMMUNICATION of 5 November 1998 on the Commission findings concerning the grant under the Taiwan trademark law of priority rights deriving from Community trademark applications (Article 29(5) of Council Regulation (EC) No 40/94 on the Community trademark) (98/C 351/03)

On the basis of Commission Communication 96/C 335/03 (1), Taiwanese nationals may become proprietors of Community trademarks under Article 5(1)(d) of Council Regulation (EC) No 40/94 on the Community trademark.

In the same communication, however, the Commission declared that through the lack of an agreement between the Community and Taiwan on the subject matter, Taiwanese nationals applying for Community trademark may not claim priority on the basis of a first filing of the same mark in Taiwan.

Article 29(5) of Regulation No 40/94 (2), as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 3288/94 (3), provides that a person who has duly filed an application for trademark in a State which is not a party to the Paris Convention or the Agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation, may only claim the priority date of that filing for the purpose of the filing of that mark as a Community trademark, in so far as the State concerned accepts Community trademark applications as a first filing for the purpose of the claiming of priority in relation to the filing of the same mark at its own Trademark Office.

Since the publication of the Commission Communication, as referred to above, the Commission and Taiwan have discussed possible solutions in order to find an agreement on the issue of priority.

The delegations from Taiwan and the European Commission reached the following agreement on the issue of priority.

'Registration of trademarks

The National Bureau of Standards of Taiwan shall accept, pursuant to Article 4 of the Taiwan Trademark law, priority claims deriving from a first application for the registration of a European Communities' trademark effected with the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (trademarks and designs).

The Office for Harmonisation shall accept, pursuant to Article 29(5) of Council Regulation No 40/94 on the European Communities' trademark, priority claims deriving from a first application for the registration of a trademark effected with the national Bureau of Standards of Taiwan.

For the purpose of the implementation of the preceding provisions, both parties refer to Article 4 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.`

These conclusions were included in the Record of Negotiations between the European Commission and the Separate Customs territory of Taiwan, Penghu and Matsu on WTO Accession of 23 July 1998.

The parties agreed that the agreement shall take effect as from 1 August 1998.

(1) OJ C 335, 9.11.1996, p. 3.

(2) OJ L 11, 14.1.1994, p. 1.

(3) OJ L 349, 31.12.1994, p. 84.
Commission communication concerning the extension of the Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (1999/C 67/08) (Text with EEA relevance)

The Commission has decided to extend the current Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (published in the Official Journal of the European Communities C 368 of 23 December 1994, p. 12, as supplemented by the rules applicable to agriculture and fisheries (OJ C 283, 19.9.1997, p. 2) and extended by the Communication published in OJ C 74, 10.3.1998, p. 31) until such time as new Guidelines are published or, at any event, until no later than 31 December 1999.
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL SECURITY FOR MIGRANT WORKERS

Rates for conversion of currencies pursuant to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2615/79

(1999/C 143/02)

>TABLE>

1. Regulation (EEC) No 2615/79 determines that the rate of conversion into a national currency of amounts shown in another national currency shall be the rate calculated by the Commission and based on the monthly average, during the reference period defined in paragraph 2, of the exchange rates of those currencies, which are notified to the Commission for the purposes of the European Monetary System.

2. The reference period shall be:

- the month of January for rates of conversion applicable from 1 April following,

- the month of April for rates of conversion applicable from 1 Juli following,

- the month of July for rates of conversion applicable from 1 October following,

- the month of October for rates of conversion applicable from 1 January following.

The rates for the conversion of currencies shall be published in the second Official Journal of the European Communities ("C" series) of the months of February, May, August and November.
Appointment of members for the second term of office of the Scientific Committee for Occupational Exposure Limits to Chemical Agents

(1999/C 107/02)

The Scientific Committee for Occupational Exposure Limits to Chemical Agents was set up by Commission Decision 95/320/EC of 12 July 1995(1).

The Commission has decided to appoint the following members for a period of three years from 1 April 1999.

R. MASSCHELEIN (B)

L. SIMONSEN (DK)

H. BOLT (D)

H. GREIM (D)

E. GALANOPOULOS (EL)

A. HUICI MONTAGUD (E)

E. GONZÁLEZ (E)

M. GOLDBERG (F)

A. PICOT (F)

K. MACKEN (IRL)

V. FOÁ (I)

P. A. BERTAZZI (I)

M. KREMER (L)

V. FERON (NL)

E. POSPISCHIL (A)

A. DURÃO (P)

H. NORDMAN (FIN)

G. JOHANSSON (S)

S. FAIRHURST (UK)

L. LEVY (UK)

(1) OJ L 188, 9.8.1995, p. 14.
Note on the citation of articles of the Treaties in the publications of the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance

(1999/C 246/01)

Pursuant to the renumbering of the articles of the Treaty on European Union (EU) and of the Treaty establishing the European Community (EC), brought about by the Treaty of Amsterdam, the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance have introduced, with effect from 1 May 1999, a new method of citation of the articles of the EU, EC, ECSC and Euratom Treaties.

That new method is primarily designed to avoid all risk of confusion between the version of an article as it stood prior to 1 May 1999 and the version applying after that date. The principles on which that method operates are as follows:

- Where reference is made to an article of a Treaty as it stands after 1 May 1999, the number of the article is immediately followed by two letters indicating the Treaty concerned:

EU for the Treaty on European Union

EC for the EC Treaty

CS for the ECSC Treaty

EA for the Euratom Treaty.

Thus, "Article 234 EC" denotes the article of that Treaty as it stands after 1 May 1999.

- Where, on the other hand, reference is made to an article of a Treaty as it stood before 1 May 1999, the number of the article is followed by the words "of the Treaty on European Union", "of the EC (or EEC) Treaty", "of the ECSC Treaty" or "of the EAEC Treaty", as the case may be.

Thus, "Article 85 of the EC Treaty" refers to Article 85 of that Treaty before 1 May 1999.

- In addition, as regards the EC Treaty and the Treaty on European Union, again where reference is made to an article of a Treaty as it stood before 1 May 1999, the initial citation of the article in a text is followed by a reference in brackets to the corresponding provision of the same Treaty as it stands after 1 May 1999, as follows:

- "Article 85 of the EC Treaty (now article 81 EC)", where the article has not been amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam;

- "Article 51 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 42 EC)", where the article has been amended by the Treaty of Amsterdam;

- "Article 53 of the EC Treaty (repealed by the Treaty of Amsterdam)", where the article has been repealed by the Treaty of Amsterdam.

- By way of exception to the latter rule, the initial citation of (the former) Articles 117 to 120 of the EC Treaty, which have been replaced en bloc by the Treaty of Amsterdam, is followed by the following wording in brackets: "(Articles 117 to 120 of the EC Treaty have been replaced by articles 136 EC to 143 EC)".

For example:

- "Article 119 of the EC Treaty (Articles 117 to 120 of the EC Treaty have been replaced by articles 136 EC to 143 EC)".

The same applies to Articles J to J.11 and K to K9 of the Treaty on European Union.

For example:

- "Article J.2 of the Treaty on European Union (Articles J to J.11 of the Treaty on European Union have been replaced by Articles 11 EU to 28 EU)";

- "Article K2 of the Treaty on European Union (Articles K to K9 of the Treaty on European Union have been replaced by articles 29 EU to 42 EU)".
Appointment of members of the Experts' Committee on the transit of natural gas through grids, set up by Commission Decision 95/539/EC(1)

(1999/C 214/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

By its Decision of 19 July 1999, the Commission appointed, as new members of the Experts' Committee(2) on the transit of natural gas through high pressure grids:

- Herrn George BOUCHARD

Deputy Director, Gaz de France, France,

as the representative of the natural gas transmission grid for France

Mr BOUCHARD replaces Mr LARVOR

- Mr Cristobal BURGOS

Head of Gas Unit, Commission of the EC,

as the Commission representative and chairman of the Committee

Mr BURGOS replaces Mr LAMBERT

- Mr Jacques MAIRE

Former General Director of Gaz de France, France,

as the representative of Eurogas

Mr MAIRE replaces Mr MEANTI

- Mr Heinz SEGBERS

Ex Managing Director, German gas industry, Essen, Germany,

as the new technical expert of the Committee

Mr SEGBERS replaces Mr KOTTMANN

(1) OJ L 304, 16.12.1995.

(2) List of members published in OJ C 222, 31.7.1996; and as amended in OJ C 63, 28.2.1997.
OPINION OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

of 9 July 1999

at the request of the Commission of the European Communities on a draft Commission Regulation (EC) amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 2214/96 concerning the sub-indices of the Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices

(CON/99/08)

(1999/C 285/09)

1. On 25 June 1999 the European Central Bank (ECB) received a request from the European Commission for an ECB Opinion on a draft Commission Regulation (EC) concerning the subindices of the Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICPs) (hereinafter referred to as the "draft Regulation").

2. The ECB's competence to deliver an opinion is based on Article 105(4) of the Treaty establishing the European Community and Article 5(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2494/95 of 23 October 1995 concerning Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices. In accordance with Article 17.5, first sentence, of the Rules of Procedure of the European Central Bank, this ECB opinion has been adopted by the Governing Council of the ECB.

3. The objective of the draft Regulation is twofold. First, the draft Regulation adapts the list of the HICP sub-indices which are to be produced, transmitted and disseminated in line with the extended coverage of goods and services of HICPs from December 1999. Second, the draft Regulation updates the list of the HICP sub-indices in accordance with the latest version of the COICOP (classification of individual consumption by purpose), dated October 1998.

4. The ECB supports the proposals put forward by the European Commission and welcomes the release of the additional sub-indices both in the field of extended coverage (social services and insurance) and in the current field of coverage. This will enhance the usefulness of the HICPs for a detailed analysis of price developments.

5. The ECB would like to stress that it will be important to ensure that the new classification is recalculated back to 1995 for all published HICP indices in order to provide comparable series over time.

6. Moreover, while the ECB fully supports the current draft Regulation and its implementation, it would like to point out that the further development of the HICP sub-indices will be desirable in future. At least in some groups of the HICP sub-indices, such development should expand the level of detail published, which is limited at present, and refine individual sub-indices, for example by introducing an accurate separation between goods and services, which is important for analytical purposes.

7. This ECB Opinion will be published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Done at Frankfurt am Main, 9 July 1999.

The Vice-President of the ECB

C. NOYER
Composition of the Scientific Committee for designations of origin, geographical indications and certificates of specific character

(1999/C 263/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

On 21 December 1992, the Commission, by Decision 93/53/EEC(1), as last amended by Decision 97/656/EC(2), established the Scientific Committee for designations of origin, geographical indications and certificates of specific character.

By Decision 93/C 154/05 of 11 May 1993(3), as last amended by Decision 97/C 377/96(4), the Commission decided the composition of the Committee.

As members were appointed for a five-year term which expired on 11 May 1998, a decision was required to fix the new composition of the Committee.

Under Article 6 of Decision 93/53/EEC, members are now appointed for a term of three years.

The Commission decided on 13 September 1999 to appoint the following Committee members and alternate members.

Members

J. AUDIER

Professeur à la faculté de droit et de science politique, Université d'Aix-Marseille

J. BOYAZOGLU

Associate lecturer at the University of Thessaloniki

Executive Vice-President of the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP)

G. J. DAVIES

Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature

Expert in Intellectual Property

Simon and Simons

D. JENEWEIN

Head of Lebensmitteluntersuchungsanstalt Innsbruck

L. VERRINI

Professore alla Facoltà di Agraria, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Direttore del Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, Reggio Emilia

A. V. MÜHLENDAHL

Doktor jur., LLM

G. YRAVEDRA LLÓPIS

Ingeniero Agrónomo, Madrid

Alternate Members

M. H. DIAS ARAÚJO COUTINHO LOPES

Licenciatura em Farmácia, Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade do Porto

E. ENDRIGHI

Ricercatore confermato presso la sez. "Economia" del Dipartimento di Protezione e Valorizzazione Agroalimentare (Diproval) dell'Università di Bologna

B. LE ROY

Directeur Adjoint de l'Office national du Lait et des Produits laitiers (ONILAIT)

Membre du Comité national des Produits laitiers de l'INAO

M. LEVIN

Professor vid Stockholms Universitet

J. SANDEL

Chairman of the Board of Jette Sandel Trademarks limited company

Attorney at Law, Law Office Dragsted, Copenhagen

A. SCHENK

Technologisch adviseur/onderzoeker kwaliteit en bewaring van tuinbouwproducten op het Vlaams Centrum voor bewaring van tuinbouwproducten

S. SMITH

Solicitor, degrees in law and computer science

Partner with F. R. Kelly & Co.

European Patent Attorney and Trade Mark Agents, Dublin

(1) OJ L 13, 21.1.1993, p. 16.

(2) OJ L 277, 10.10.1997, p. 30.

(3) OJ C 154, 5.6.1993, p. 5.

(4) OJ C 377, 12.12.1997, p. 6.
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION

of 10 November 1999

concerning the calculation of the average Community share of electricity market opening, as de fined in Directive 96/92/EC, concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity

(1999/C 330/06)

(Text with EEA relevance)

According to the calculations made by the Commission pursuant to the second and third paragraphs of Article 19(1) of Directive 96/92/EC(1) the average Community share of electricity market opening, as effective in 2000, is 30,27 %.

This figure has been calculated by adding, on the one hand electricity consumed by final consumers consuming more than 20 GWh in all the Member States and, on the other, total net consumption in all the Member States, and then dividing the first figure by the second.

(1) OJ L 27, 30.1.1997, p. 20.
Extension of the validity of the Community guidelines on State aid for environmental protection

(2000/C 14/07)

In 1994 the Commission adopted the Community guidelines on State aid for environmental protection(1), which were to expire on 31 December 1999. On 22 December 1999 it decided to extend the validity of the guidelines until 30 June 2000, except in respect of agricultural products. On 24 November 1999 the Commission adopted guidelines for state aid in the agricultural sector, which also apply to environmental aid in agriculture.

(1) OJ C 72, 10.3.1994, p. 3.