NoC169/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.7.92
posalswhichcannotbeentirelyseparatedfromthis
proposalandstillawaitCouncilagreement :slotallo­
cation,consultationbetweenairportandusers,aircraft
noiseandrelationswiththirdcountries.Asregardsthe
lastpointtheCommitteeurgestheCounciltoseekto
improvethecompetitivepositionofECcarriersvis-a­
visthosethirdcountries.
6.2.Similarly,theCommitteelooksforwardto
receivingproposalswhichtheCommissionhavealready
statedtheywillmake:harmonizingthetechnicalspeci­
ficationsforairnavigation,flighttimelimitations,codeofconductfortravelagents,commonrulesforliability
(WarsawConvention).TheCommitteeinparticularis
concernedthatflighttimelimitationsandthecodeof
conductfortravelagentsseemtohaveanundulylong
gestationperiodgiventhattheCommitteehascalled
forsuchproposalsbeforetocomplementtheexisting
airtransportlegislation.
6.3.TheCommitteecontinuestopressforimprove­
mentstotheinfrastructure ,especiallytoairportsand
toAirTrafficControl,whichisreckonedtocostan
unnecessaryadditionalUSD4billionperyear.
DoneatBrussels,29April1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
Opinionon:
—theproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)layingdowncontrolrulesandmeasuresto
combatAfricanhorsesickness,and
—theproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingCouncilDirective90/426/EECof26June
1990onanimalhealthconditionsgoverningthemovementandimportfromthird
countriesofequidae(*)
(92/C169/07)
On20December1991theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposals.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adoptingitsOpinionon2April1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrProumens .
Atits296thPlenarySession(meetingof29April1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
TheCommitteeapprovestheproposedRegulationand
theproposedamendmentofDirective90/426/EEC.
However,itfeelsthatanumberofcommentsshould
bemade,inparticularwithregardtotheproposed
Regulation .1.Generalcomments
1.1.Africanhorsesickness(whichintheFrenchver­
sionoftheproposalshouldbetermed'pesteafricaine
equine'ratherthansimply'pesteequine')isacon­
tagiousdiseasecausedbyavirustransmittedbyCulic­
oides,atypeofmosquitowhichattackshorses,mules,
donkeysandzebras.
1.2.Thediseasecanonlybetransmittedbythese
insectbites.(!)OJNoC312,3.12.1991,p.12,17.

6.7.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC169/23
2.4.1.However,thismethodwillinevitablyonly
coverlimitedareas.Also,themeansdeployedmustnot
harmtheenvironment .
2.4.2.TheCommission shouldnevertheless bealert
toothermethodssuchasscentedtrapsorbacteria
whichinterferewiththereproductivesystemofCulic­
oi'des.1.3.Inotherwords,itisnottransmittedbycontact
withsickanimalsorbypeoplelookingaftersuchani­
mals.
1.4.TheCommitteenotesthattheCommissionpro­
posestousevaccinationinrelativelyfewcases;insome
circumstances ,itiseventobeprohibited .
1.5.However,theCommissionhasenvisagedfinan­
cingapreventivevaccinationcampaigninMorocco.
HorsebreedingandexportareimportantinMorocco,
andtheclimaticconditionstherecouldleadtoout­
breaksofthedisease.Morocco'sgeographicalproxim­
itytoSpainisafurtherreasonforcontemplating such
ameasure .3.CommentsontheArticlesoftheRegulation
3.1.InArticle3(3),theofficialveterinarian isthe
onedesignatedbythecompetentauthoritiesofthe
MemberStates,asdefinedinDirective90/426/EEC.
3.2.InArticle4(1)(d),thewords'withinthiszone'
shouldbeadded.1.6.Atthesametime,itshouldbenotedthat
countriesandregionswithcoolerclimatestendnotto
haveproblemswithCulicoides,andthatoutbreaksof
Africanhorsesicknessinthemoretemperateregions
oftheECandofthirdcountriesareextremelyrare.
1.7.AfirstreadingofthedraftRegulation'sarticles
wouldsuggestacertaininconsistency intheCom­
mission'sapproachtovaccinationcampaigns .
1.7.1.However,oncloserexamination ,andmore
especiallyinthelightofArticle14,itbecomesclear
thatvaccinationisonlyoneofthemeasuresenvisaged,
andthatinmostcases(especiallyiftheyarerelatively
isolated)thepreferredsolutionistheslaughterofani­
malsthatareinfectedorarelikelytobecomeinfected.
2.Specificcomments
2.1.TheCommitteenotesthatthegeographicalradii
ofthezonessubjecttostrictmeasures(20km),the
protectionzones(100km)andthesurveillancezones
(150km)aremuchlargerthanforotherdiseases.This
isbecausethevectorisinthiscaseaninsect.3.3.WithregardtoArticle4(1)(e),andbearingin
mindtheurgentneedtoimplementthesemeasures,the
CommitteeproposesthattheCommissiondrawupan
Annexlistingappropriatemethodsofdisinsectization ,
evenifthelistisonlyindicativeandnotexhaustive .
3.4.AnewindentshouldbeinsertedbetweenArticle
6(1)(a)and6(1)(b)statingthatr'Theslaughterofinfect­
edequidaeorofequidaeliabletobecomeinfectedshall
becarriedoutrapidlyevenifdeathcauseddirectlyby
thediseaseisrelativelyrapid.'
3.5.Theapparentambiguityinthereferencetovac­
cinationinArticle6(1)(c)isexplainedbythecomments
inpoint1.7above.
3.6.Article7(1)mentionsepizooticfactors,while
thetermepizootiological isusedelsewhere.Epizootiol­
ogicalshouldbeusedthroughout .
3.7.Theword'experts'inArticle7(3)shouldbe
amendedtoread'veterinaryexperts'.
3.8.Althoughitrealizesthatthiswillbedifficult,
theCommitteerecommendsthatdeadlinesbefixedfor
theprovisionsofArticles6to10,inthelightofthe
extentofthedisease,itsgeographicallocation,andthe
methodsused.
3.9.InArticle12,theCommissionshouldstipulate
theproductionandstoragemethods,andthedate­
limits,forthevaccinesused.
3.10.InArticle8(1)(a),thewords'specifyingthe
numberandtypeofequidaetobefoundthere'should
beadded.2.2.Suchlargeradiicouldextendintothird
countries.TheCommitteeaskstheCommissiontocon­
cludeagreementsonthesubject,notonlywiththe
nationsoftheEuropeanFreeTradeAssociation (EFTA)
butalsowiththirdcountriessuchasTurkey,Bulgaria
andYugoslavia .
2.3.ItshouldbenotedthatalthoughPortugalisfree
ofthedisease,SouthEastPortugalisconsidereda
bufferzonefortheprotectionandsurveillancemeasures
(see2.1above).
2.4.TheCommitteewouldverymuchliketosee
'disinsectization 'campaignsinhothumidregionsand
marshlands .

NoC169/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 6.7.92
4.CommentsontheArticlesoftheDirective
4.1.InthenewArticle5(3)(a),theCommission
shouldlisttherelevantperiodsoftheyear;thelistcouldlaterberevisedandamendedinthelightofexperience .
4.2.InArticle3,the31December1991deadline
mustobviouslybealtered.
DoneatBrussels,29April1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)amendingRegulation,(EEC)
No1442/88onthegrantingforthe1988/1989to1995/1996wineyears,ofpermanent
abandonmentpremiumsinrespectofwine-growingareas
(92/C169/08)
On22April1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon2April1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrCharlesPelletier.
Atits296thPlenarySession(meetingof29April1992)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyaunanimousvote.
1.Themeasuresbeingtakentorestructurethewine­
producingsector,interaliathroughthegrantingof
grubbing-uppremiumswithaviewtoenhancingprod­
uctquality,needtobefullyimplemented .
1.1.Maximumuseshouldthereforebemadeofthe
sumsmadeavailableforgrubbing-uppremiums.Itis
particularlynecessarytoensurethatanysumsoutstand­
ingafterpremiumshavebeenallocatedmaybetrans­
ferredfromonefinancialyeartoanother.
2.Witheffectfrom1January1990grubbing-up
premiumshavebeenchargedsolelytotheGuaranteeSectionoftheEuropeanAgriculturalGuidanceand
GuaranteeFund(EAGGF).Thischangemeantthat
sumssetasideforgrubbing-uppremiumsbutnotutili­
zedby1January1990wereleftunallocatedsincethey
weretheresponsibilityofboththeGuaranteeandthe
GuidanceSectionsoftheEAGGF.
2.1.ThedraftRegulationunderreviewisexactly
whatisrequired,sinceitspurposeistobookallthese
residualsumstotheGuaranteeSectionoftheEAGGF.
2.2.TheCommitteeconsequentlyendorsestheCom­
mission'sproposal.
DoneatBrussels,29April1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH