WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3455/97 by Marjo MATIKAINEN-KALLSTRÖM to the Commission. Nicotine dependency caused by tobacco
Date: 1997-10-31
Institutions: European Parliament, MATIKAINEN-KALLSTROEM
Subjects: action programme, labelling, product quality, public health, smoking, tobacco industry, toxic substance

30. 4. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134/167

(98/C 134/228)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3455/97

by Marjo Matikainen-Kallstro¤m (PPE) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Nicotine dependency caused by tobacco

The nicotine contained in tobacco products is a substance which acts upon the central nervous system creating a
dependency  comparable  to  that  caused  by,  say,  heroin  or  cocaine.  The  limits  on  toxicity  levels  of  tobacco
products have concentrated on the quantity of tar, but no common European limit value for nicotine has been set.
At present the standards merely require the nicotine content of the product to be stated on the packet. This is a
distortion of the situation, because it is precisely nicotine dependency which keeps tobacco consumption going.

What concrete measures, on what timescale, does the Commission intend to take to define the maximum nicotine
content of tobacco products in Community law?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(24 November 1997)

The Commission adopted a communication on smoking prevention on 18 December 1996 (1). This identifies
several policy options at Community level, including that nicotine addiction be considered as a dependency, thus
allowing it to be tackled through the relevant Community public health programmes. It is furthermore suggested
that  a  maximum  level  of  nicotine  in  cigarettes  could  also  be  considered.  As  regards  options  for  improving
cooperation  between  Member  States,  the  Commission(cid:146)s  communication  proposes  the  provision  of  smoking
cessation medications (nicotine chewing gums, nicotine (cid:145)patches(cid:146)) at minimal or no cost to smokers.

The communication has been sent for the opinion of the Parliament. The Commission will examine the reactions
to the text and in the light of this examination may bring forward appropriate proposals for actions and measures.

(1)  COM(96) 609 final.

(98/C 134/229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3483/97

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(31 October 1997)

Subject: Instances of sexual abuse in an EU nursery

According to information from trade unions, which enlisted Parliament(cid:146)s powers of scrutiny to support them,
there have been instances of sexual abuse of children aged 2 and 3 in the Clovis interinstitutional nursery housed
in the Commission building.

As the Commission is already aware of this situation, is it conducting or will it conduct an inquiry › in tandem
with  the  Belgian  police(cid:146)s  investigation  which  has  been  going  on  for  four  months  ›  to  establish  the  exact
circumstances  under  which  these  events  took  place  and  where  responsibility  lies  for  what  happened  in  the
nursery,  which  the  Commission  has  contracted  to  a  private  firm.    Finally,  what  is  the  Commission(cid:146)s
responsibility for the security of children in a nursery housed in its own building, the parents of whom are all staff
of the EU Institutions? What criteria are used in entrusting the children of EU officials to private firms and how
are the staff of EU nurseries selected? What measures will the Commission take as a matter of urgency to ensure
that children in the nursery are completely secure?