WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2764/97 by Irene SOLTWEDEL-SCHÄFER to the Commission. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease (CJD)
Date: 1997-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, SOLTWEDEL-SCHAEFER
Subjects: animal disease, cattle, epidemiology, exchange of information, health control, infectious disease, slaughter of animals, veterinary inspection

C 82/138

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

17. 3. 98

(98/C 82/222)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2756/97

by Gerhard Schmid (PSE) to the Commission

(1 September 1997)

Subject: Euro-Info-Center at the Regensburg Chamber of Commerce

The EC advisory agency at the Regensburg Chamber of Commerce has existed for about 10 years. Indeed, it was
one of the first EICs to be recognized by the Commission. In the latest evaluation by the Commission, however,
the Regensburg EIC has been downgraded from blue to violet.

1. Why has this downgrading taken place? Can the Commission provide a full explanation?

2. What (formal and qualitative) criteria does the Commission apply when evaluating EICs?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(2 October 1997)

Individual  performance  appraisals  of  the  Euro  Info  Centres  (EICs)  are  aimed  not  only  at  ensuring  that  their
commitments to the Commission are fulfilled, since these determine payment of the Community contribution,
but also at promoting an increase in the quantitative impact of the network as a whole.

The  Commission’s  basic  information  source  for  the  assessment  exercise  is  the  quarterly  progress  reports
forwarded by the EICs. The assessment methodology, which was agreed with the EICs, is based on objective
criteria of both a qualitative and quantitative nature.

For the purposes of the assessment, the activities of the Euro Info Centres are analysed from five points of view:
their  provision  of  information  and  assistance/consultancy  services  to  small  and  medium-sized  enterprises
(SMEs)  on  Community  matters;  their  activities  to  promote  the  network;  their  involvement  in  intra-network
cooperation; the extent and quality of their relations with the Commission, and the conformity of the internal
organisation  of  the  Euro  Info  Centres  with  their  remit.  The  EICs  have  been  involved  in  preparing  a  uniform
assessment form setting out the various aspects of these activities.

In applying these criteria, the Regensburg EIC was classified in the (cid:145)violet(cid:146) zone for 1996. This decision does not
affect payment of the Community contribution. Its aim is simply to alert the EIC to certain weak points in its
internal organisation and in its integration into the network. These weaknesses were set out in a letter from the
Commission to the host structure.

The procedure is motivated by the desire to further improve the services provided by the Regensburg EIC as well
as those provided by the network as a whole.

(98/C 82/223)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2764/97

by Irene Soltwedel-Scha¤fer (V) to the Commission

(1 September 1997)

Subject: Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

A  large  number  of  cases  of  CJD  are  not  being  detected,  because  progressive  dementia  is  a  required
1.
diagnostic criterion but may be absent. What steps has the Commission taken to correct epidemiological data
falsified by this fact?

2.
How far have efforts been made to ensure that the proportion of infected or diseased BSE cattle among
outwardly  (i.e.  apparently)  healthy  animals  is  identified  in  the  current  slaughter  programmes  in  the  UK  and
Germany? There is a need for this kind of overview, to show the actual incidence of infected animals and deduce
from it possible NV-CJD cases in humans, particularly since, in view of the long incubation period, we should
assume that the usual criteria for BSE will not be positive if the animal is slaughtered before its third year, even
when it is carrying the infectious pathogen. Collaboration with the Swiss in this area would be extremely helpful.