WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2125/97 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Novel food regulation No 258/97 - Safety tests (SUPPLEMENTARY ANSWER)
Date: 1997-06-23
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: crop production, environmental protection, food inspection, genetically modified organism, human nutrition, marketing, new product, product safety, seed

C 158/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

25. 5. 98

(98/C 158/02)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1870/97

by Gerardo Ferna·ndez-Albor (PPE) to the Commission

(30 May 1997)

Subject: EU involvement in the development of As Pontes, Galicia

The government of the Spanish region of Galicia has signed a cooperation agreement with one of the principal
electricity  companies  of  the  country  and  with  the  trade  unions  concerning  the  economic  development  of  the
district of As Pontes, Galicia.

The  reindustrialization  plan  will  run  until  2001.  The  regional  government  will  invest  300  million  and  the
electricity company 900 million.

How  could  the  European  Union  take  part  in  this  plan,  what  could  it  contribute  and  under  what  Community
programme or specific measure could it consider participating in the development of the district?

Supplementary answer
given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(21 November 1997)

In  order  to  specify  the  final  source  of  a  possible  financial  contribution  from  the  structural  funds  to  the
collaboration  agreement  signed  by  the  (cid:145)Xunta  de  Galicia(cid:146)  with  the  electricity  company  Endesa  and  the
representatives of the trade unions concerning the economic development of the Galician area of As Pontes, it
would be necessary to receive an application from the authorities involved requesting specific funding for this
project under an individual structural intervention programme.

Given  that  such  a  request  has  not  been  received,  it  would  be  premature  to  identify  the  specific  origin  of  the
possible funds for this project, particularly since the Spanish region of Galicia benefits from over 20 programmes
financed by Community structural funds, a number of which (among them the operational programme Galicia
1994-1999) could provide financial aid to a project of these characteristics if the necessary conditions were met.

(98/C 158/03)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2125/97

by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission

(23 June 1997)

Subject: Novel food regulation No 258/97 › Safety tests

In the event of authorization being given for a genetically modified plant line pursuant to the varieties directive,
following thorough testing of the change in its metabolites are all plants resulting from crops-breeding from this
line tested for possible metabolitic change?

Supplementary answer
given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 December 1997)

Under the current Community provisions on the common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species and
on the marketing of vegetable seed (70/457/EEC and 70/458/EEC respectively) (1) a plant variety is officially
accepted for certification and marketing only if it is distinct, stable and sufficiently uniform. A variety shall be
regarded  as  distinct  if,  whatever  the  origin,  artificial  or  natural,  of  the  initial  variation  from  which  it  is  has
resulted, it is clearly distinguishable in one or more important characteristics from any other variety known in the
Community.

Where Commission decisions concerning the placing on the market of genetically modified plant material, seed
included,  are  required,  these  are  based  on  the  examination  of  the  relevant  dossier  submitted  under  Council
Directive  90/220/EEC  on  the  deliberate  release  into  the  environment  of  genetically  modified  organisms (2)
having taken into account all the information forwarded by the Member States and found that the information on
the environmental risk contained in the dossier is sufficient to enable the Commission to take a decision on the
placing on the market.