Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Directive amending Directive 70/524/EEC concerning additives in feedingstuffs and Directive 95/69/EC laying down the conditions and the arrangements for approving and registering certain establishments and intermediaries operating in the animal feed sector and amending Directive 70/524/EEC, 74/63/EEC, 79/373/EEC and 82/471/EEC'
Date: 1998-07-02
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: animal nutrition, food additive, food industry, marketing, quasi-fiscal charge

14.9.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 284/91

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Directive
amending Directive 70/524/EEC concerning additives in feedingstuffs and Directive 95/69/EC
laying down the conditions and the arrangements for approving and registering certain
establishments and intermediaries operating in the animal feed sector and amending Directive
70/524/EEC, 74/63/EEC, 79/373/EEC and 82/471/EEC’ (1)

(98/C 284/15)

On 19 May 1998 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Articles 43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the
above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing the Committee’s
work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 15 June 1998. The rapporteur was Mr Gardner.

At its 356th plenary session (meeting of 2 July 1998) the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion by 42 votes to seven, with 15 abstentions.

1.

Introduction

Current Community legislation on additives to
1.1.
animal feeds provides that it is for the Council, at the
proposal of the Commission, to set the level of fees for
registration of additives and for approval of establish-
ments and intermediaries.

1.2.
Since differences have emerged in Council con-
cerning the method for calculating these fees and,
consequently, the actual amounts involved, and in order
to break the ensuing deadlock, the Commission is
proposing to amend Directives 70/524/EEC and
95/69/EC to assign the decision on the level of fees to
the Member States, albeit on the basis of harmonized
rules for the calculation.

2. Comments

2.1.
In the report accompanying the proposal, the
Commission itself stresses that the difficulties in Council
have concerned the method for calculating the fees.

2.2.
According to the Commission, agreement could
now be reached by dividing authority between the
Council, for the calculation method, and the Member
States, for the actual amount of the fees.

2.3.
The Committee believes that in principle both
registration of additives and approval of establishments
fall within the official powers of the national adminis-
trations and that they should therefore bear the relevant
costs.

2.4.
The Committee does, however, consider that if
the principle of charging a fee for these services is
accepted — as confirmed by Directives 70/524/EEC and
95/69/EEC — then there is a need to establish methods
and instruments to minimize the risk of any distortion
of competition arising from fee levels which vary from
country to country.

2.5.
Such measures could, in the Committee’s view,
include a transitional phase of limited duration, for
countries adopting the euro, during which the latter
would remain free to set the amount of the fees, while
observing general rules to be drawn up at Community
level.

2.5.1.
Adoption of the single currency could facilitate
an alignment of the costs involved, leading in the future
to a single cost being set for all.

2.6.
Upper and lower limits for fees should be set
for non-euro countries, since it is necessary to avoid
significant cost differences between them and countries
adopting the single currency.

The Committee does not believe that the
2.2.1.
conditions for reaching agreement on common rules
have altered.

3. Conclusions

(1) OJ C 155, 20.5.1998, p. 29.

3.1.
In conclusion, the Committee holds that there
can be no retreat from the aim of agreeing to set fees
equally applicable to all EU Member States, following
a transitional period yet to be agreed.

C 284/92

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

14.9.98

3.2.
It therefore calls upon the Commission to adapt
its own proposals in this direction and to amend the

dates set out in Articles 1 and 2 (1 April 1998 and
31 March 1998), which have already passed.

Brussels, 2 July 1998.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Exploitation of children and sex
tourism’

(98/C 284/16)

At its plenary session meeting on 19 March 1997, the Committee decided, in accordance with
Rule 11(4) and Rule 19(1) of its Rules of Procedure, to set up a subcommittee to prepare its
work on ‘Exploitation of children and sex tourism’.

The subcommittee drew up a draft opinion on 8 June 1998 (rapporteur: Mr Sklavounos).

At its 356th Plenary Session (meeting of 2 July 1998) the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the opinion set out below by 72 votes in favour, with 3 abstentions.

SUMMARY OF THE MAIN POLICY PROPOSALS

The Economic and Social Committee considers that the
widespread and alarming problem of child mistreatment,
exploitation and abuse requires a fundamental repo-
sitioning and mobilization of society. The aim should
be to go beyond public condemnation and reaction
by ‘decree’, or piecemeal policies based on damage
limitation. Society needs to tackle the: generating factors
of child abuse rather than react to their consequences.
The Committee urges a comprehensive, preventive and
pro-active approach, putting ‘children first’
in our
every-day policy-making, social activity and cultural
development.

A. Responding at an international level to the gener-
ating factors of child mistreatment, abuse and
exploitation

A.1.
The EU can lead efforts to help the UN and
other international development bodies play an effective
role in combating poverty and the most intolerable
forms of child abuse and exploitation through a more

effective use of their funds, through EU and international
legal instruments for actions and by clearly incorporating
children’s rights in EU external relations policies.

A.2.
The ESC can take the initiative, through its own
structured dialogue and cooperation with its national
and international counterparts, and its constituent mem-
bers, to encourage and facilitate the setting-up of bodies
for pro-active and effective policies relating to children.

B. Proposals for coordinating an effective policy at

European level

B.1.
The current traditional policies for supporting
the family and children, e.g. provision of day care
leave and child benefit, must be
centres, parental
accompanied by, and coordinated with, new, child
friendly, policies on town planning and urban regener-
ation.

The ESC would also urge policies regenerating
B.2.
‘the city’ as a civic, social and participatory cultural
entity. In particular, it proposes a network of child-
friendly cities encouraging for example: opportunities
for reintegrating older people into the social mainstream
and harnessing their skills through voluntary schemes
in collaboration with day care centres, schools, public