WRITTEN QUESTION No. 471/96 by Gian BONIPERTI , Antonio TAJANI to the Commission. The use of anabolic steroids
Date: 1996-02-29
Institutions: BONIPERTI, European Parliament, TAJANI
Subjects: advertising, application of EU law, marketing standard, medicinal product, sport













EUR-Lex - 91996E0471 - EN






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91996E0471

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 471/96 by Gian BONIPERTI , Antonio TAJANI to the Commission. The use of anabolic steroids  


Official Journal C 217 , 26/07/1996 P. 0050 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0471/96 by Gian Boniperti (UPE) and Antonio Tajani (UPE) to the Commission (29 February 1996)Subject: The use of anabolic steroidsA young bodybuilder in Rome recently died as a result of using anabolic steroids, thereby confirming the dangers of using such products.- The risk is even greater in the case of sports activities that are not even governed by official sports bodies, such activities constituting a subculture in which a dangerous ignorance prevails.- Italian law has no provision for banning the use of doping substances in sports activities, and this omission should be rectified not only in Italy but also throughout all the European Union Member States.- The IOC, the CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) and the various sports federations prosecute the use of drugs in sport, even though this is not the case under ordinary law.Does the Commission not agree that the use of such substances should be banned by means of a Community law?Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (7 May 1996)The Commission has no intention to propose specific legislation relating to the testing of sportsmen for the illegal use of performance enhancing substances.The use of drugs in sport, however, may already contravene certain provisions of Community directives on the harmonisation of various matters concerning health and medicinal products. This legislation prohibits the use of medicinal products other than those authorized through a normal marketing procedure ((Directive 65/65/EEC; OJ L 22, 9.2.1965 (last amended by Directive 93/39/EEC; OJ L 214, 24.8.1993. )). Moreover, the advertising of medicinal products is covered by harmonized provisions ((Directive 92/28/EEC; OJ L 113, 30.4.1992. )).Community activity in the field of doping as it relates to sports has been based on the Council Resolution of 3 December 1990 on Community action to combat the use of drugs, including the abuse of medicinal products, particularly in sport ((OJ C 329, 31.12.1990. )), which invited the Commission to draw up a code of conduct to combat the use of drugs in sport. This was then approved by the Council in its Resolution of 8 February 1992 ((OJ C 44, 19.2.1992. )), which called on young people, parents, educational institutions and athletes to ensure that participation in sport should be free from doping, and for the latter to act as role models. It encouraged health professionals, the entourage of sport teams (managers, coaches, trainers, etc) and sports organisations to actively prevent doping and encourage fair play. It called for cooperation between sports organisations on issues related to the status and control of doping.