A4-0004/98

Decision on the common position adopted by the Council with a view to adopting a European Parliament and Council Decision setting up a network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases in the Community (C4-0437/97 - 96/0052(COD))

(Codecision procedure: second reading)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the common position of the Council, C4-0437/97 - 96/0052(COD),

- having regard to its opinion at first reading ((OJ C 362, 2.12.96, p. 108.)) on the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council, COM(96)0078 ((OJ C 123, 26.4.1996, p.10.)),

- having regard to the amended Commission proposal, COM(97)0031 ((OJ C 103, 2.4.1997, p. 11.)),

- having regard to Article 189b(2) of the EC Treaty,

- having regard to Rule 72 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the recommendation for second reading of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection (A4-0004/98),

1. Amends the common position as follows;

2. Calls on the Commission to support Parliament's amendments in the opinion it is required to deliver pursuant to Article 189b(2)(d) of the EC Treaty;

3. Calls on the Council to approve all Parliament's amendments, amend its common position accordingly and definitively adopt the act;

4. Instructs its President to forward this decision to the Council and Commission.

(Amendment 1)

Recital 10

>Original text>

(10) Whereas the constantly growing information needs of the structures and/or authorities responsible in the Member States for the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases make it necessary to establish, at Community level, a permanent network to respond to those needs;

>Text following EP vote>

(10) Whereas the current shortcomings in the structures for the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases in the Member States make it necessary to establish a permanent structure at Community level;

(Amendment 2)

Recital 14

>Original text>

(14) Whereas cooperation with the competent international organizations, particularly the World Health Organization, in particular with regard to disease classification, must be fostered;

>Text following EP vote>

(14) Whereas cooperation with the competent international organizations, particularly the World Health Organization, notably with regard to disease classification, must be fostered, as well as the use of appropriate language and technology;

(Amendment 3)

Recital 16

>Original text>

(16) Whereas the recent appearance or resurgence of serious communicable diseases has demonstrated that when an emergency situation occurs all relevant data and information must be communicated swiftly to the Commission in an agreed form of presentation, using appropriate methods;

>Text following EP vote>

(16) Whereas the recent appearance or resurgence of serious communicable diseases has demonstrated that when an emergency situation occurs all information and data gathered in accordance with a previously established methodology must be communicated swiftly to the Commission;

(Amendment 4)

Recital 26

>Original text>

(26) Whereas the costs which may result from the operation of the network at Community level should be met from Community resources; whereas relevant Community programmes and initiatives, including those in the context of public health action as well as, in particular, the framework programme for statistical information, projects in the field of telematic interchange of data between administrations, and the framework programme for research and technological development, especially the telematics applications of the latter, might provide the necessary financial means;

>Text following EP vote>

(26) Whereas the costs which may result from the operation of the network at Community level should be met from Community resources;

(Amendment 5)

Article 1

>Original text>

The objective of this Decision is to set up a network at Community level to promote cooperation and coordination between the Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, with a view to improving the prevention and control, in the Community, of the categories of communicable diseases specified in the Annex. This network shall be used for:

- the epidemiological surveillance of these diseases, and

- a response system for the prevention and control of these diseases.

>Text following EP vote>

The objective of this Decision is to set up a network at Community level to promote cooperation and coordination between the Member States, with the assistance of the Commission, with a view to improving the prevention and control, in the Community, of the categories of communicable diseases specified in the Annex. This network shall be used for:

- the epidemiological surveillance of these diseases, and

- an early warning and response system for the prevention and control of these diseases.

>Original text>

As regards epidemiological surveillance, the network shall be established by bringing into permanent communication with one another, through all appropriate technical means, the Commission and those structures and/or authorities which, at the level of each Member State and under the responsibility of that Member State, are competent at national level and are charged with collecting information relating to the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases, and by establishing procedures for the dissemination of the relevant surveillance data at Community level.

>Text following EP vote>

As regards epidemiological surveillance, the network shall be established by bringing into permanent communication with one another, through all appropriate technical means, the Commission and those structures and/or authorities which, at the level of each Member State and under the responsibility of that Member State, are competent at national level and are charged with collecting information relating to the epidemiological surveillance of communicable diseases, and by establishing procedures for the dissemination of the relevant surveillance data at Community level.

>Original text>

As regards the response system, this network shall be formed by bringing into permanent communication with one another, through appropriate means, the Commission and the competent public health authorities in each Member State responsible for determining the measures which may be required to protect public health.

>Text following EP vote>

As regards the early warning and response system, this network shall be formed by bringing into permanent communication with one another, through appropriate means, the Commission and the competent public health authorities in each Member State responsible for determining the measures which may be required to protect public health.

>Text following EP vote>

This Community network shall be formed by putting into permanent communication with one another, through all appropriate technical means, the structures (hereafter referred to as Eurocentres) which, at the level of each Member State and under the responsibility of that Member State, are responsible for collecting information relating to epidemiological surveillance and coordinating control measures in order then to forward them to a central body: the European Centre for the Surveillance of Communicable Diseases.

(Amendment 6)

Article 2(1)

>Original text>

1) 'epidemiological surveillance¨: the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of health data, including epidemiological studies, concerning the categories of communicable diseases set out in the Annex, in particular relating to the pattern of spread of such diseases over time and space and analysis of the risk factors for contracting such diseases, for the purpose of enabling appropriate preventive measures and counter-measures to be taken;

>Text following EP vote>

1) 'epidemiological surveillance¨: the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of comparable and compatible health data, including epidemiological studies, concerning the categories of communicable diseases set out in the Annex, in particular relating to the pattern of spread of such diseases over time and space and analysis of the risk factors for contracting such diseases, for the purpose of enabling appropriate preventive measures and counter-measures to be taken;

(Amendment 7)

Article 3(a)

>Original text>

(a) the communicable diseases to be gradually covered by the Community network, having regard to the categories set out in the Annex and the existing collaborative networks for disease surveillance that can be readily built upon and on the basis of selection criteria such as:

- value added at the level of the Community and the Member States,

- potential threat to public health,

- potential threat to Community policies,

- need to develop an early warning system,

- possibilities for improving knowledge about the disease concerned,

- resources available;

>Text following EP vote>

(a) the communicable diseases covered by the Community network, having regard to the categories set out in the Annex and the existing collaborative networks for disease surveillance that can be built upon;

(Amendment 8)

Article 3(b)

>Original text>

(b) case definitions;

>Text following EP vote>

(b) case definitions, in particular the clinical definition and, whenever possible, the microbiological characterization of the agent responsible;

(Amendment 9)

Article 3(da) (new)

>Text following EP vote>

(da) the protective measures to be taken, in particular at external frontiers, notably in emergency situations;

(Amendment 10)

Article 3(db) (new)

>Text following EP vote>

(db) information, recommendations and guides to good practice for the public;

(Amendment 11)

Article 4, introduction

>Original text>

Each structure and/or authority referred to in the second paragraph of Article 1 shall communicate to the Community network:

>Text following EP vote>

Each structure and/or authority referred to in Article 1 shall communicate to the Community network:

(Amendment 12)

Article 4(a)

>Original text>

(a) information regarding the appearance or resurgence of cases of communicable diseases as referred to in Article 3(a) in the Member State to which the structure and/or authority belongs;

>Text following EP vote>

(a) information regarding the appearance or resurgence of cases of communicable diseases as referred to in Article 3(a) in the Member State to which the structure and/or authority belongs, together with information on control measures applied;

(Amendment 13)

Article 4a (new)

>Text following EP vote>

Article 4a

The Community network shall, without delay, forward the information referred to in Articles 3 and 4 to the appropriate authorities of all the Member States. It shall forward to the appropriate authorities of the Member States any information of which it is aware on the subject of any state of emergency arising from the appearance or resurgence of serious communicable diseases within the territory of the European Union or originating in third countries.

(Amendment 14)

Article 5(2)

>Original text>

2. Where a Member State intends to adopt measures for the control of communicable diseases, it shall, before adopting those measures, inform and, to the extent possible, depending on the urgency of the situation, consult the other Member States and the Commission on the nature and scope of those measures, through the Community network.

>Text following EP vote>

2. Where a Member State intends to adopt measures for the control of communicable diseases, it shall, before adopting those measures, inform and, depending on the urgency of the situation, consult the other Member States and the Commission on the nature and scope of those measures, through the Community network.

(Amendment 15)

Article 5(4)

>Original text>

4. Member States shall, on the basis of their consultations and the information provided, coordinate amongst themselves in liaison with the Commission with regard to the intended or adopted measures. The measures shall, however, remain entirely the responsibility of the Member States.

>Text following EP vote>

4. Member States shall, on the basis of their consultations and the information provided, coordinate amongst themselves in liaison with the Commission with regard to the intended or adopted measures.

(Amendment 16)

Article 5(5)

>Original text>

5. Procedures concerning the information and consultation referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 and procedures concerning the coordination referred to in paragraphs 1 and 4 shall be established in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6.

>Text following EP vote>

5. Procedures concerning the information and consultation referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 and procedures concerning the coordination referred to in paragraph 1 shall be established in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6.

(Amendment 17)

Article 6(1)

>Original text>

1. For the purposes of implementing this Decision, the Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of two representatives of each of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

>Text following EP vote>

1. For the purposes of implementing this Decision, the Commission shall be assisted by a committee composed of one representative per Member State and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

(Amendment 18)

Article 6(2)

>Original text>

2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the chairman shall lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The chairman shall not vote.

>Text following EP vote>

2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the general measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The chairman shall not vote.

(Amendment 19)

Article 7

>Original text>

The Annex shall be amended or supplemented in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6.

>Text following EP vote>

The Annex may be amended or supplemented in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6.

(Amendment 20)

Article 8

>Original text>

Each Member State shall designate, within six months following the entry into force of this Decision, the structures and/or authorities referred to in the second paragraph of Article 1 and shall notify the Commission and the other Member States thereof.

>Text following EP vote>

Each Member State shall designate, within six months following the entry into force of this Decision, the structures and/or authorities referred to in Article 1 and shall notify the Commission and the other Member States thereof.

(Amendment 21)

Article 13

>Original text>

1. The Commission shall submit a report on the operation of the Community network to the European Parliament and the Council every two years.

The first report shall be submitted two years after the entry into force of this Decision.

2. The second report to be submitted by the Commission shall, in particular, identify those elements of the Community network which should be improved or adapted. It shall also include any proposal that the Commission considers necessary for the amendment or adaptation of this Decision.

>Text following EP vote>

The Community network shall be subject to a periodic evaluation, including a report to the European Parliament and the Member States within five years, giving evidence of effective use of resources and structural capacity.

(Amendment 22)

Annex, heading

>Original text>

CATEGORIES OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

INDICATIVE LIST

>Text following EP vote>

CATEGORIES OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES