WRITTEN QUESTION E-2477/98

by Astrid Thors (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 July 1998)

Subject: Bioterrorism

According to reports in a specialist periodical, medical research has ascertained that it would be relatively easy for a ruthless terrorist organization to attack a city for example using biological agents such as anthrax. Man-made epidemics could spread out of control.

What action does the Commission intend to take to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks using biological weapons, and, if they did occur, to reduce their impact?

Answer given by Mrs Gradin on behalf of the Commission

(21 September 1998)

There is a high level of international awareness of the risk of biological and toxin weapons, as well as other weapons of mass destruction being used by rogue states or by terrorist organisations. The Commission is fully involved in the activities of the European Union related to these important issues, which take place under both the second and third pillars.

A European priority has been the promotion of universal participation in, and compliance with, multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation conventions such as the Nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NTP), the chemical weapons conventions (CWC) and the biological and toxin weapons convention (BTWC) and, at the same time, to continue to strengthen export control regimes.

The BTWC prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons. Member states, along with others participating in the fourth review conference in 1996, recognised the need to ensure the effective fulfilment of obligations under the Convention which would help exclude the use of biological and toxin weapons for terrorist activities.

The European Union believes that 1998 is a year of crucial importance in the negotiations on a protocol to strengthen compliance with the BTWC, which would include verification measures, and adopted a common position to this effect on 4 March 1998. Union demarches to promote BTWC universality are in preparation and informal meetings of BTWC technical experts are continuing.

At the same time, in terms of operational police and customs activity, there is increasing exchange of information and co-operation within the Union. On 23-24 March 1998, for instance, the United Kingdom Presidency organised a seminar on chemical and biological terrorism for some 27 countries including Member States and accession states as well as the United States and other G8 members. The Commission provided financial support ("OISIN" funding) for the seminar which addressed the threat posed by chemical and biological terrorism and ways of improving the response. Among the conclusions was agreement to expand the directory of counter terrorist competencies to include specific expertise on chemical biological terrorism.

At the 18 May 1998 Community-United States summit, in which the Commission fully participated, chemical and biological terrorism was specifically identified in the "counter terrorism statement of EU-US shared objectives" as an area of mutual interest where thinking had been shared and best practice compared.

It can be seen, therefore, that the Member States and the Commission are strongly committed to both political and practical measures to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks using biological weapons, and that work to develop more effective counter-measures and responses continues in the context of the wider international comunity.