No C 134/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 24. 5. 88 
on cabotage in transport for hire or reward.) The 
Committee is pleased to note that the Commission is 
contemplating amending the proposal to require the 
collection of data on cabotage only when this form of 
transport is authorized. 
2.3. Article 4, point 10 
The Member States are to take the steps necessary to 
obtain 'sufficient' results. This requirement is very 
vague and furthermore each Member State may use 
its own method to calculate the number of tonne-
kilometres. To what extent, then, will the figures pub­
lished by the various Member States be comparable? 
The Committee suggests that the possibility of intro­
ducing a uniform survey and calculation system be 
studied. 
Done at Brussels, 23 March 1988. 
1. The Committee welcomes the Commission pro­
posal and is in general agreement. The Committee 
makes the following observations. 
2. General comments 
2.1. The present proposal must clearly distinguish in 
its demands between meat, either minced or in pieces 
of less than 100 g, which 
a) either enters direct for sale to the buyer, 
b) or passes for further processing. 
(!) OJNoC 18,23. 1. 1988, p. 8. 2.4. Article 4, point 11 
The Commission is to publish 'appropriate' statistical 
results. This wording, too, is very vague. It should be 
borne in mind that some data may be confidential, for 
example figures relating to a market segment where 
during a given quarter only one or a few road hauliers 
were active. 
2.5. Article 4, point 13 
In the course of implementing the proposed changes 
considerable costs will be incurred in connection with 
the registration of cabotage. Cabotage will be freely 
permitted, however, only in 1992 at the earliest, i.e. after 
the expiry of the period during which the Community is 
to make a financial contribution in respect of the new 
work involved. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT 
2.2. The Committee took note of the Commission's 
declaration that the proposal only applies to meat for 
direct consumption, and that meat intended for further 
processing is being dealt with elsewhere. 
2.3. The Committee welcomes that this proposal will 
eventually be applied to national trade and thereby 
remove the opportunity for fraudulent trade. 
2.4. The Committee recommends that the feasibility 
be examined of placing a limit on the interval between Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive on health problems affecting the production, 
placing on the market of the Community and importation from third countries of minced 
meat and meat in pieces of less than one hundred grams (*) 
(88/C 134/05) 
On 15 January 1988 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the 
abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing the Com­
mittee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 3 March 1988 in the light of the oral 
report by Mr Storie-Pugh. 
At its 254th plenary session held on 23 and 24 March 1988 (meeting of 23 March 1988), the 
Economic and Social Committee unanimously adopted the following Opinion. 
24. 5. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 134/9 
slaughter and mincing or cutting into pieces of less than 
100 g. 
2.5. The Committee realizes that in this proposal 
there are certain ambiguities concerning the difference 
between frozen and chilled meat. Owing to the perisha­
bility of the product it might not be realistic to lay 
down rules on chilled meat in intra-Community trade. 
The Committee considers however that the exact pos­
ition should be clarified. 
2.6. The Committee draws attention to certain 
inconsistencies found in the translation of some techni­
cal points. 
2.7. A similar proposal to this Directive is required 
for white meat, where the majority of public health 
incidents occur. 
3. Particular comments 
a) Article 1, point 2 (a) 
Replace 'on the spot for the consumer' by 'for direct 
consumption'. 
Add the comment: 
'Minced meat intended for consumption raw 
should come within the scope of these pro­
posals.' 
b) Under Article 2 
Insert the whole of Article 8. 
c) Article 8 
Transfer to Article 2. 
d) Article 14 
Provision must be made for consultation with the 
appropriate commercial interests involved. 
4. Annex 
Chapter 1, point 1 
1. In reference to a closed mechanical process it must 
be clarified that this covers not only 'wrapping' but 
also 'packaging'. 
2. A room temperature of 7 °C is too low. Crucial to 
obtaining a hygienic product is a combination of 
processing time and temperature of the raw 
materials employed. Having regard to the short 
processing time stipulated in Chapters II and III and in the provisions concerning the product tempera­
ture during processing, then a maximum room tem­
perature, when the process is not continuous and 
closed, of maximum 12 °C is realistic. 
3. 'Wrapping' in the final line should be replaced by 
'packaging' to enable a total continuous operation 
to be carried out. Today a fully continuous process 
includes the assembly and filling of cartons (pack­
aging). 
Chapter II 
Points 3 and 4 
Delete and replace by: 
'Meat intended for the production of meat into 
pieces of less than 100 g is examined to detect 
any contamination. Contaminated parts shall be 
removed and condemned before the meat is cut up.' 
Point 6 
1. The —18 °C temperature requirement should be 
altered to — 12 °C. This is the temperature required 
in Directive 64/433/EEC (Fresh meat Directive) for 
frozen meat and is already allowed in bilateral 
Member State agreements. 
Chapter III 
Point 8 
Delete and replace by: 
'Meat intended for the production of mince is exam­
ined to detect any contamination. Contaminated 
parts shall be removed and condemned before the 
meat is minced.' 
Point 10, line 3 
1. Add after 'freezing', 'or chilling'. 
2. Delete final sentence commencing 'During mincing', 
and replace with: 
'Chilled meat to be minced must not exceed 
4 °C as mincing commences.' 
Point 11 
This paragraph must be altered to allow trade in chilled 
mince meat. 
Point 12 
Immediate wrapping and packaging after production is 
No C 134/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 24. 5. 88 
unnecessary if the product is moving to further process­
ing and not for direct sale to the customer. 
Chapter V 
Whilst it is accepted that some form of microbiological 
testing may be needed, it is considered that the pro­
cedures proposed are impractical and unrealistic. 
The proposals are directed at the product and not at 
the production process and its environment. The prod­
uct will have reached its point of sale before its test 
results are available. 
A microbiological control system based on hazard 
analysis and the monitoring of critical control points is 
the only effective means of controlling the safety and 
Done at Brussels, 23 March 1988. 
1. General considerations 
1.1. The Committee supports the Commission's plan 
to adopt a block exemption Regulation for know-how 
agreements. 
It agrees with the Commission that the increasing econ­
omic importance of non-patented technical information 
(!) OJ No C 214, 12. 8. 1987, p. 2. quality of minced meat. The proposals should develop 
these. It would be more realistic if applied to check the 
incoming raw material. A microbiological end product 
specification can give a false sense of assurance. The 
proposals should develop this approach. 
Chapter VI, 22 
After 'seasonings' add 'and/or additives'. 
Add date of freezing, or in the case of chilled meat a 
'last consumption' date. 
Chapter V1I1 
The health certificate should be designed to be suitable 
for completion with word processing equipment. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT 
makes it necessary to give greater legal certainty to 
agreements governing the transfer of such knowledge. 
1.2. However, the Commission has been too restric­
tive in its definition of the purpose of the block exemp­
tion Regulation, which should not merely serve to pro­
vide greater legal certainty. It is at least just as important 
for the Regulation to expressly encourage and simplify 
the signing of know-how agreements. The main reasons Additional Opinion on the draft Commission Regulation on the Application of Article 85(3) 
of the Treaty to certain categories of know-how licensing agreements (!) 
(88/C 134/06) 
On 20 October 1987 the Bureau of the Economic and Social Committee, acting under the 
third paragraph of Article 20 of the Rules of Procedure, decided in connection with the 
Committee Opinion on the Commission's Sixteenth Report on Competition Policy to draw 
up an Opinion on the abovementioned draft Commission Regulation. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services, which was responsible for preparing 
the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 2 March 1988. The rapporteur 
was Mr. Petersen. 
At its 254th plenary session (meeting of 23 March 1988) the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the following Opinion by a unanimous vote.