Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision on reference laboratories for monitoring bacteriological and viral contamination of bivalve molluscs` () (97/C 355/12)

On 29 July 1997 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Articles 43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 18 September 1997. The rapporteur was Mr Ballé.

At its 348th plenary session (meeting of 1 October 1997), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 89 votes to two, with six abstentions.

1. Introduction

1.1. In the interests of public health protection, the Commission proposes to appoint national reference laboratories and a Community reference laboratory to coordinate the analysis and monitoring of bacteriological and viral contaminations of bivalve molluscs.

2. Gist of the Commission proposal

2.1. Council Directive 91/492/EEC laid down health conditions for the production and placing on the market of live bivalve molluscs. In the absence of other appropriate techniques, the Directive stipulated that health checks must be based on 'faecal bacteria counts`. Scientific studies and experience have since shown that this technique is inadequate and that another indicator is required.

2.2. Following an outbreak of gastro-enteritis which affected several hundred people in the EU, and in view of the progress made in analysis and monitoring, the Commission now proposes:

- the designation, by each Member State, of one or more reference laboratories which will be responsible for (i) coordinating the activities of the national laboratories responsible for bacteriological and viral analyses of bivalve molluscs in the Member State, (ii) organizing comparative tests between laboratories, (iii) disseminating the information provided by the Community reference laboratory, and (iv), more broadly, cooperating with the Community reference laboratory;

- the designation of a Community reference laboratory which will be responsible for (i) supplying information on analytical methods and comparative testing to the national laboratories, (ii) coordinating the application by the national laboratories of the analytical methods, (iii) coordinating research into new analytical methods, and (iv), more generally, cooperating with the national laboratories and assisting the Commission.

2.3. The Commission proposes that the laboratory of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science in Weymouth be appointed as the Community reference laboratory. The proposal also broadly describes the centre's operating conditions (staff, equipment, structure, EU financial aid).

3. Conclusions

3.1. Given that the Commission proposal is designed to:

- protect public health by averting any further public health problems in the live bivalve mollusc sector and by developing analytical and monitoring methods in the sector;

- guarantee a uniform system of analytical and monitoring methods throughout the EU, by ensuring that the national and EU reference laboratories work as a network,

the Committee approves the proposal.

Brussels, 1 October 1997.

The President of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS

() OJ C 267, 3. 9. 1997, p. 15.