WRITTEN QUESTION E-1904/96 by Erich Schreiner (NI) to the Council (12 July 1996)

Subject: Scientific advisory committees and the work of the Commission

The Commission is able to obtain scientific advice from special committees before reaching decisions.

What is the Council's opinion of the quality of the work done by the scientific committees which have been set up to advise the Commission?

Why did the Council agree to the setting up of an interdisciplinary committee in connection with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)?

What additional costs will be incurred by the interdisciplinary 'BSE' committee?

As the existing scientific advisory committees clearly do not have the required skills, so that special committees have to be set up to tackle important issues, the question arises whether the organization and structure of the Commission's scientific advisory committees will be changed and, if so, in what way?

Are there any plans to set up further 'special committees' in future, to provide the Commission with effective scientific advice?

What steps are taken to ensure that the Commission follows the recommendations of the scientific advisory committees?

What action will the Council take if the Commission does not follow the recommendations of the scientific advisory committees?

Reply (10 October 1996)

The Council has always had a high opinion of the work of the scientific advisory committees, which have frequently contributed to the preparation of Commission proposals on which agreement has subsequently been reached by both the Council and the European Parliament.

The European Union has recently been faced with a serious crisis in the beef and veal sector linked to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its potential risks to human health. In dealing with this situation, the Union, in its decisions, has always kept the protection of human health uppermost in its mind.

At its meeting on 14 May 1996, the Council, recalling that it had already discussed this problem on 30 March 1994, emphasized, taking into account the best available scientific data, and on the basis of the fundamental need for precaution, that all appropriate measures must be taken to eliminate the risk of possible transmission of BSE. It intended to give this matter further consideration on a continuing basis.

It has to be acknowledged that BSE constitutes a new type of disease, requiring a different approach to that followed hitherto by the Community scientific authorities.

This is why the Commission recently set up, at the Council's request (see the conclusions of 29-30 April 1996) a multi-disciplinary committee responsible for bringing together all the information already analysed by the other committees existing under the auspices of the Commission, and for proposing comprehensive action to be taken by the Union to deal with this disease. The purpose of setting up this committee is to ensure that the scientific advice on BSE intended for the Commission is the result of consultation of as large a number of experts as possible. Its existence does not in any way imply calling into question the work of the existing committees, which have played and continue to play an important and valued role in each of their respective fields. Close links will be maintained between all these committees.

The questions concerning the operation and funding of these committees, which follow the usual rules in this area, are a matter for the Commission and, as appropriate, the Budgetary Authority.