WRITTEN QUESTION P-0246/01

by Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(31 January 2001)

Subject: Internal Commission note of 12 October 1990 on BSE

A number of press reports in recent days have quoted an internal Commission note dated 12 October 1990, summarising the discussion in the Standing Veterinary Committee on 9 and 10 October of that year, which also came to light while Parliament's committee of inquiry was conducting its investigation in 1996.

The note clearly shows that the Commission, whose mouthpiece in this instance was Mr Mansito, in fact echoing the views of his principal superior, the then Director-General for Agriculture, Guy Legras, had decided not to provoke unfavourable market responses and hence not [to] talk about BSE any more. The Commission's intention was to request the United Kingdom mldr not to publish any more of their (sic) research results, and it considered that the BSE affair mldr [had to] be minimized by using disinformation.

Copies of the note were also sent, according to the list appearing in the note itself, to Mr Barlebo-Larsen, Mr P. Prendergast (the current Director of the Food and Veterinary Office), and Mr D. Jiménez-Beltrán (now the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency).

It is plain to see from the final report of Parliament's Temporary committee of inquiry into BSE that senior officials of DG VI as staffed at that time were guilty of carrying out a policy of disinformation that not only extended beyond the range of public opinion, but even served to impede the Community's ability to legislate.

It has to be recognised that, since 1996, the Commission has taken many steps to reorganise its departments in order to correct the processes that led to such exceedingly serious failures.

That notwithstanding, can the Commission say:

- what have been the consequences of the disinformation strategy set out in the note?

- whether the officials who received a copy of the note indeed attended the meeting in question and helped to shape the disinformation strategy employed by the Commission from 1990 to 1996?

- what action it has taken against the senior officials guilty of mishandling the BSE crisis between 1990 and 1996, bearing in mind that the only official to have been dismissed was Mr Mansito, whereas some of the others involved are now in charge of key areas of Commission activity?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 2001)

In July 1996, the Parliament established a Temporary Committee of Inquiry into the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The results of the inquiry and recommendations for the future were submitted in February 1997. The Commission's responsibilities in the management of BSE were examined in detail by the Committee of Inquiry. In this context, the Commission submitted voluminous information to the Committee, much of which the Committee published (see Parliament document A4-0020/97 and annexes). Commission officials also gave oral evidence to the Committee. The contents of the note referred to by the honourable Member were well known to all participants in the Inquiry and were fully addressed in the oral and written proceedings.

Subsequently, the Parliament established a Temporary Committee to follow up the Parliament's recommendations concerning BSE. The Commission submitted regular reports to the Temporary Committee on how it was following up the recommendations.

The Commission has nothing, therefore, to add to the information given to the Committee of Inquiry and the Temporary Committee about the events of the early 1990s mentioned in the Honourable Member's question. Finally, it should be noted, in the interest of clarity that Mr Mansito was not dismissed from the Commission services.