WRITTEN QUESTION E-0472/01

by Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(21 February 2001)

Subject: Italian appointments to the Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition

One of the experts appointed to the new Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition(1), created by Commission Decision 97/579/EC(2), is Professor Gianfranco Piva (Università cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy).

According to an article about BSE that appeared on page 3 of the daily newspaper La Repubblica on 25 January, Professor Piva acts as a consultant for Morando, a Turin-based company that produces animal feed, and a opinion drawn up by him was annexed to a report of 9 June 1998 signed by the director of the veterinary services department of the Italian Health Ministry, Dr Romano Marabelli, which called for the Italian Higher Institute for Health to give permission for a threshold of 0,15 % to be set for the presence in feed of meal containing animal protein, in line with similar guidelines shortly to be issued by the EU.

The invitation for expressions of interest in the post of member of a Scientific Committee, published by the Commission(3), specifies that candidates must submit a declaration of any interests that might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

1. Can the Commission confirm, whether, assuming the information published by La Repubblica is correct, Professor Piva and the other scientific experts appointed by the Commission on 27 November 2000 to the scientific committees created by Decision 97/579/EC have all submitted such a declaration?

2. Has the Commission checked whether any of the interests declared are incompatible with membership of the scientific committee and the principle of the independent protection of the health of consumers?

(1) OJ C 338, 29.11.2000, p. 16.

(2) OJ L 237, 28.8.1997, p. 18, and OJ L 179, 18.7.2000, p. 13.

(3) OJ C 142, 20.5.2000, p. 46.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(12 June 2001)

1. The members of the scientific committees are requested annually to inform the Commission in writing of any interests which could be regarded as prejudicial to their independence.

In addition, at each meeting of the scientific committees or their working groups members shall, in accordance with the rules of procedure, declare any particular interests which could be prejudicial to their independence in the light of the topics on the agenda for that meeting. This declaration shall be made in writing or verbally and is included in the relevant meeting minutes which are published on the internet.

2. In the case of the expression of interest made by Professor Piva, he declared that there were no interests which could be considered as prejudicial to his independence.

Following the article in La Repubblica, Professor Piva has informed the Commission that he has no direct relations with the firm Morando but that there is a consultancy contract for assistance in the revision of analyses of feedingstuffs between Istituto di Scienze degli Alimenti e della Nutrizione, of which Professor Piva is a director, and the company Morando. The Commission, on the basis of the information received, does not consider that such a relationship is incompatible with Professor Piva's membership of the Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition or his participation as an expert in other scientific committees' working groups. The Commission will continue to ensure that the internal rules of procedure of the Committees applicable to scientific experts are enforced, as described above.