WRITTEN QUESTION No. 243/98 by Outi OJALA to the Commission. Use of primates in animal experiments
Date: 1998-02-13
Institutions: European Parliament, OJALA
Subjects: EU programme, animal experimentation, animal health, animal welfare, monkey, protection of animals, research body

17. 7. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/145

(98/C 223/190)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0235/98

by Jose· Salafranca  Sa·nchez-Neyra (PPE) to the Commission

(13 February 1998)

Subject: NGOs in Cuba

Could the Commission provide a list of the European non-governmental organizations which operated in Cuba in
the course of 1997?

Is the Commission planning to make any changes in 1998?

Answer given by Mr Mar(cid:14)·n on behalf of the Commission

(18 March 1998)

The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which operated in Cuba with Commission funding in the course of
1997 were Gruppo Volontariato Civile (Italy), Oikos (Portugal), Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei
Popoli  (Italy),  Caritas  (Germany),  Erikshja¤lpen  (Sweden),  Medicos  del  Mundo  (Spain),  Asociacio·n  para  la
Cooperacio·n con el Sur-Las Segovias (Spain), Save the Children Fund (United Kingdom), Me·decins du Monde
(France), Croix Rouge (Germany), Nuevo Futuro (Spain), MPDL (Spain), Agro Accio·n Alemana (Germany),
Asociacio·n  para  la  participacio·n  al  Desarrollo  (Spain),  Care  (France),  Brot  fu¤r  die  Welt  (Germany),  MSF
(Netherlands), Monimbo (Germany).

During recent years, Community cooperation with Cuba has, firstly, focused on expanding the range of activities
of  the  NGOs  by  assigning  them  a  major  role  in  the  implementation  of  humanitarian  aid  and  food  and
development aid, and by carrying out systematic checks to ensure improvements in their working conditions.

Secondly, in accordance with the criteria set out by the Council in the Common Position of 2 December 1996, the
Commission  has  made  provision  for  the  funding  of  projects  additional  to  the  global  plan  (microprojects),
intended for vulnerable sections of the population not covered by Cuba(cid:146)s network of healthcare, such as elderly
people  living  alone,  women  bringing  up  children  on  their  own  and  those  living  in  extreme  poverty.  These
projects are carried out in cooperation with independent local NGOs, such as Caritas Cuba, and are designed to
strengthen the role of civil society in Cuba.

The Community plans to continue working along these lines in 1998. Under the IVth global plan of humanitarian
aid, covering a period of eight months, it is planned to keep to roughly the same number of NGOs during 1998.

Areas  such  as  protection  of  the  environment  and  disaster  prevention  might  also  afford  European  NGOs  new
operational opportunities.

(98/C 223/191)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0243/98

by Outi Ojala (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(13 February 1998)

Subject: Use of primates in animal experiments

Primates such as chimpanzees are similar to humans in many respects, and for this reason are widely used in
scientific experiments. Primates are used, for example, in research relating to neurology, infectious diseases,
toxicology and vaccination. The experiments cause these animals, with their highly developed nervous system
and intelligence, a great deal of stress, and for this reason the experiments are extremely dubious from an ethical
point of view. Moreover, the conditions in laboratories are often very unsatisfactory for primates: their living
areas are too small and their opportunities for social contact and varied activity are limited.

In the EU over 10 000 primates are used every year for research purposes like those outlined above, and unlike
other experimental animals, their numbers have not fallen but rather risen.