Council Conclusions of 30 April 1998 on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)
Date: 1998-04-30
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU financing, animal disease, cattle, disease of the nervous system, epidemiology, scientific research

C  169/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

4.6.98

COUNCIL  CONCLUSIONS

of  30  April  1998

on  transmissible  spongiform  encephalopathies  (TSEs)

(98/C  169/02)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

REFERRING  to  the  Council  conclusions  of  18  June  1996
and  of  12  November  1996  on  transmissible  spongiform
encephalopathies  (TSE)(cid:216)(˛);

RECALLING  the  Council  conclusions  of  7  October  1996
on  research  on  bovine  spongiform  encephalopathy  (BSE)
and  related  human  diseases;

NOTES  the  initiatives  taken  by  the  European  Parliament
in  relation  to  BSE  and  Creutzfeldt(cid:220)Jakob  disease  (CJD)
and  in  particular  its  resolution(cid:216)(ˇ)  adopted  on  19  Fe(cid:220)
bruary  1997;

NOTES  the  current  epidemiological  data  relating  to  CJD,
supplied  by  the  Member  States,  and  also  the  devel(cid:220)
opments  which  have  taken  place,  since  its  conclusions  of
12  November  1996,  in  relation  to  the  monitoring  and
surveillance  of  CJD  in  the  Member  States  and  at  the
Community  level;

NOTES  the  action  which  has  been  taken  in  relation  to:

-(cid:217)protection  of  workers  exposed 

to 

the  agents

responsible  for  BSE  and  related  animal  TSEs,

-(cid:217)the  review  of  guidelines  adopted  by  the  Committee
for  Proprietary  Medicinal  Products  aimed  at  mini(cid:220)
mising 
transmission,  via  medicinal
products,  of  the  agents  responsible  for  TSEs,

risk  of 

the 

-(cid:217)the  provision  of  funds  from  the  Community  budget
framework
for  TSE  research  under 
programme  established  by  Decision  No  1110/94/EC
of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council(cid:216)(—);

fourth 

the 

WELCOMES  the  intention  of  the  Commission  to  submit,
as  soon  as  possible  after  the  next  International  Office  of
Epizootics  (OIE)  session  in  May  1998,  a  scientifically
based  proposal  in  the  field  of  specified  risk  materials;

ATTACHES  particular  importance  to  such  a  proposal
with  regard  to  specific  problems,  such  as  the  exclusion  of
specified  risk  materials  from  the  food  chain  and  a
specific 
to  medicinal
products  and  medical  devices;

risk  assessment  with 

regard 

REAFFIRMS  the  importance  of  extending  to  all  Member
States  the  epidemiological  surveillance  of  CJD  using  the
same  methods  as  have  been  applied  in  the  project  funded
through  the  Community’s  Biomed  programme,  and  of
Member  States  continuing  to  exchange  experience  and
expertise  in  the  diagnosis  of  cases;

WELCOMES  the  cooperation  between  the  Commission
and  the  World  Health  Organisation  on  matters  related
to  TSEs;

AGREES  to  keep  the  issue  under  consideration.

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  C  194,  5.7.1996,  p.  1  and  OJ  C  374,  11.12.1996,  p.  2.
(ˇ)(cid:217)OJ  C  85,  17.3.1997,  p.  61.

(—)(cid:217)OJ  L  126,  18.5.1994,  p.  1.