ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES 
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COM (83) 576 
 
 
 
Vol. 1983/0 218 
  
 
Disclaimer  
Conformém ent au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 
concernant l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique 
européenne et de la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, 
p. 1), tel que modifié par le règlement (CE, Euratom) n° 1700/2003 du 22 septembre 2003 
(JO L 243 du 27.9.2003, p. 1), ce dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents 
classifiés présents dans ce dossier ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit 
règlem ent. 
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 
concerning the openi ng to the public of the historical archives of the European Econom ic 
Community and the European Atomic Energy Communit y (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as 
amended by Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1700/2003 of 22 September 2003 (OJ L 243, 
27.9.2003, p. 1), this f ile is open to the public. Where necessary, classified documents in this 
file have been declassified in conformity with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation.  
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom  1. 
Februar 198 3 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen  
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und der Europäischen Atomgem einschaft (ABI. L 43 vom  15.2.1983,  
S. 1), geändert durch die Verordnung (EG, Euratom) Nr. 1700/2003 vom 22. Septem ber 2003  
(ABI. L 243 vom 27 .9.2003, S. 1), ist diese Datei der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit  
erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in dieser Datei in Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5  
der genannten Verordnung freigegeben.  
COMMISSION O F THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
C0M183) 576 final
Brussels, 4 October 1983
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL
on the research programme on varroa-m ite disease for the  
1983/84 marketing year
C0MC83) 576 fin a l

EXPLANATORY M E M O R A N D U M
A rtic le  2a(2) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1196/81 establishing a system  
of aid fo r bee-keeping in respect of the 1981/82, 1982/83 and 1983/84  
marketing years, as amended by Regulation 1994/83, provides fo r the  
Commission to communicate to the Council the research programme on varroa-  
mite disease i t  proposes to implement.
This communication contains the research programme fo r 1983/84.

COMMUNICATION F R O M  THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL  
on the research programme on varroa-m ite disease fo r the 1983/84 marketing year
1. In order to protect bees against varroa-m ite disease, on 11 July 1983 the  
Council amended, by Regulation (EEC) N o 1994/83 (1 ), Regulation 1196/81  
establishing a system of aid fo r bee-keeping in respect of the 1981/82,
1982/83 and 1983/84 marketing years (2 ). In th is  way, fo r the 1983/84  
marketing year, the Council took a Community measure aimed at establishing  
an ad hoc research programme on varroa-m ite disease in order to combat the  
disease at Community le v e l.
The Regulation also provides fo r the measure to be adopted by the Commission,  
a fte r i t  has f ir s t  communicated to the Council the research programme i t  
proposes to implement.
This communication contains the research programme which the Commission  
proposes to develop, pursuant to Regulation 1196/81, fo r the 1983/84 marketing  
year.
For that marketing year the estimated cost of the programme is 250 000 ECU, as  
a result of the increase of 0.07 EC U  per hive in the aid referred to in A rtic le  
2(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 1196/81.
2. Varroa jacobsoni is a mite which develops at the expense of the brood of honey  
bees. O riginating in Indonesia, i t  spread throughout Asia and reached Europe in  
1964, where i t  was f i r s t  detected in Russia. I t  has continued to spread since  
then and reached Greece in 1975, the Federal Republic of Germany in 1977, It a ly  
in 1980, France in 1982 and the whole of Benelux in 1983.
I t  is unanimously considered to be the most serious of a ll bee diseases and i f  
no action is taken the hive is in e v ita b ly  lo s t. The economic consequences for  
the Community are considerable, not only because honey production is reduced but  
above a ll because p o llin a tio n , which is an essen tial facto r in s ta b iliz in g  
a g ric u ltu ra l production, becomes less e ffe c tiv e .
T rad itio n a l methods of combating the disease (burning of contaminated h ives),  
banning of trade with infested areas, t r ia ls  of over 100 chemical acaricides)  
habe so fa r proved unsuccessful. In ad d itio n , the use of chemical acaricides  
may be dangerous i f  they are found to contaminate the honey and the environement.
... /...
(1) 0J No L 196, 20.07.1983, p. 8.
(2) 0J No L 122, 06.05.1981, p. 1.

Faced with th is dramatic s itu a tio n , the Commission considers i t  necessary to  
organize without delay at Community level research into other methods of  
combating th is disease, with the aim of f ir s t  bringing i t  under control and  
then eardicating i t .  ......
3.
 In view of the short l i f e  of the measure (1 y e a r), research must cover those  
fie ld s  most lik e ly  to y ie ld  resu lts in the short term.
The Commission considers th at th is  ob jective can be achieved by the follow ing  
short-term  research programme:
1. Development of b io lo g ical or chemical methods of e a rly  diagnosis using  
natural products;
2. New methods of applying known cures, or development of new active p rin c ip le s ,  
a ll integrated into a combined treatm ent;
3. C ollaborative assessment of known substances and new compounds and comparison  
of th e ir a c tiv ity  in d iffe re n t conditions and clim ates;
4. Impact on the colony of the secondary in fectio n s (viruses and b acteria)  
caused by V. jacobsoni.
4. The Commission is well aware that th is  short-term  measure based on applying  
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1994/83 fo r the 1983/84 marketing year cannot on  
its  own solve a ll the problems posed by V■  jacobsoni. This can only be done by  
developing a more basic research programme aimed not only at h altin g  the spread  
of the mite but also at erad icatin g  i t  on the basis of more d etaile d  knowledge  
of its  biology and i t  relatio n s with hives.
The Commission therefore undertakes to develop a more comprehensive research  
programme, from 1984 onwards, in the framework of the fiv e -y e a r programme  
(1984-88) fo r the coordination of a g ric u ltu ra l research.
5. In view of the lim ited  l i f e  of the programme, the Commission considers that  
devoting a ll of the estimated 250 000 EC U  to sp e cific measures involving early  
diagnosis, new therapy based on the p rin cip les of b io lo g ic al control and the  
settin g  up of a cooperative network w ill make i t  possible to acquire new  
knowledge rap id ly and that th is  w ill have economic repercussions whose f ir s t  
effe cts could make themselves f e l t  very soon in beekeepers' level of prosp erity.
Given the nature of the measures envisaged and the development of varroa-m ite  
disease, i t  is very probable th at the research work w ill be allo cated on a  
Community basis. In view of the lim ited  funds ava ilab le fo r the 1983/84 marketing  
year the Commission w ill apply s t r ic t ly  the c r ite r ia  fo r assessing tenders  
mentioned in A rtic le  3 of Regulation (EEC) No 2106/83 (1 ).
(1) 0J No L 204, 28.07.1983, p. 36.