WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3642/97 by Clive NEEDLE to the Commission. The rise in the incidence of tuberculosis
Date: 1997-11-13
Institutions: European Parliament, NEEDLE
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, EU programme, World Health Organisation, accession to the European Union, data collection, developing countries, health control, infectious disease, public health, respiratory disease

C 187/36

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16. 6. 98

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 1997)

It is the responsibility of the Member States to ensure that the provisions of Directive 86/609/EEC concerning the
protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes (1) are adhered to in their territory. An
exemption to use non-purpose bred animals can be obtained (cid:145)under arrangements determined by the authority(cid:146)
(Article 19(4) of the Directive) and it is at the discretion of the Member States that the applicant sufficiently
justifies that (cid:145)other animals would not suffice for the aims of the experiment(cid:146) (Article 7(3)).

The responsibility of the Commission is to examine that the Directive has been correctly transposed and applied
by the Member States. With regard to the provisions relating to the use of non-purpose bred animals, defined in
Articles 7(3), 19(4) and 21, the Commission has opened four infringement proceedings which partly cover either
one or more of the above mentioned Articles. Only one of these relates to a wrong application, the others concern
technical aspects of the implementation in national legislation.

(1)  OJ L 358, 18.12.1986.

(98/C 187/61)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3642/97

by Clive Needle (PSE) to the Commission

(13 November 1997)

Subject: The rise in the incidence of tuberculosis

The  World  Health  Organization  has  just  published  a  worrying  and  unprecedented  report  on  the  rise  in  the
incidence of tuberculosis. This specifies a number of developing countries plus Latvia, Estonia and the Russian
Federation as (cid:145)hot spots(cid:146) where tuberculosis is resistant to antibiotics and treatment is described as (cid:145)therapeutic
anarchy(cid:146).

Clearly this has implications for several aspects of EU policy and practice in the context of its public health
competence as established in Article 129 of the Treaty on European Union.

Will the Commission therefore set out urgently its approach to tacking tuberculosis with particular reference to
the potential applicants for EU membership, given concerns that public health is insufficiently addressed in the
Agenda 2000 proposals?

(98/C 187/62)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3643/97

by Clive Needle (PSE) to the Commission

(13 November 1997)

Subject: The rise in the incidence of tuberculosis

The  World  Health  Organization  has  just  published  a  worrying  and  unprecedented  report  on  the  rise  in  the
incidence of tuberculosis. This specifies a number of developing countries plus Latvia, Estonia and the Russian
Federation as (cid:145)hot spots(cid:146) where tuberculosis is resistant to antibiotics and treatment is described as (cid:145)therapeutic
anarchy(cid:146).

Clearly this has implications for several aspects of EU policy and practice in the context of its public health
competence as established in Article 129 of the Treaty on European Union.

Will the Commission therefore set out urgently its approach to tacking tuberculosis with particular reference to
assistance for health programmes in states receiving PHARE?