WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2001/97 by Glyn FORD to the Commission. Food aid to North Korea
Date: 1997-06-09
Institutions: European Parliament, FORD
Subjects: EU aid, FAO, North Korea, Unicef, food aid, food shortage, humanitarian aid, hunger, nutrition, public health

C 45/140

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10. 2. 98

The Commission has been informed that the United States has taken legal measures to prohibit the use of

8.
non-authorised hormones. Fraud is subject to administrative and penal sanctions.

9.
The effectiveness of anabolics on animal morphology depends on numerous factors such as sex, age of
animal, breed, dose, combination with other substances, and nutrition. As a rule they have a favourable impact on
growth and calcification of the bones, leading to weight gain in a shorter period than non-treated animals.

The physiological effects depend on the type of substance administered (oestrogenic, androgenic or gestagenic)
and the sex of the animal. It is not possible to describe in a few words all the different and complex effects on
animal  physiology,  with  special  reference  to  the  endocrine  glands.  If  the  Honourable  Member  wishes,  the
Commission can provide him with scientific documentation on the subject.

10.
American legislation on the market authorisation of fattening hormones has been drawn up by the FDA.
The FDA based its judgment on the scientific data provided at the time, confidentially, by the industry. Most of
these data are fairly old, some more than fifteen years old.

(98/C 45/181)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2001/97

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(9 June 1997)

Subject: Food aid to North Korea

What is the Commission position on food aid to North Korea?

Answer given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission

(4 July 1997)

According  to  the  United  Nations  world  food  programme  (WFP)  and  the  Food  and  agriculture  organization
(FAO), North Korea is a country with a large structural food deficit and insufficient resources to import the food
needs  of  its  population.  The  seriousness  of  the  situation  was  confirmed  by  independent  experts,  who  visited
North Korea in March on behalf of the Commission.

On  23  May  1997,  the  Commission  therefore  launched  a  significant  food  aid  package  worth  46.3  MECU
(approximately 155 000 tonnes) in support of the victims of famine. Of this quantity, 65 000 tonnes of food aid
products  have  been  made  available  to  the  WFP  in  response  to  the  appeal  launched  in  April  1997  for
203 000 tonnes. The remaining 90 000 tonnes of food aid products will be delivered directly by the Commission
to North Korea where it will be handled by the WFP, and distribution monitored by an independent technical
assistance team financed by the Community. The Commission is also preparing a separate nutritional programme
for children in co-operation with the United Nations children(cid:146)s fund, and public health support measures. Prior to
this decision, the Community had already committed almost 10 MECU for humanitarian assistance and food aid
since 1995.

The recently launched package of aid has been prepared by the Commission on purely humanitarian grounds and
is being delivered through multilateral agencies and non-governmental organisations.

(98/C 45/182)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2005/97

by Felipe Camiso·n Asensio (PPE) to the Commission

(11 June 1997)

Subject: Disadvantages of the SIMULCRYPT system in digital TV services

As the Commission probably knows, the Executive Committee of DVB, Digital Video Broadcasting, decided at
its meeting in Geneva on 16 April last to postpone making the Simulcrypt encoding system a European standard