WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2914/98 by Riitta MYLLER Shortage of food and medicines in Russia
Date: 1998-10-02
Institutions: European Parliament, MYLLER
Subjects: EU aid, Russia, carriage of goods, customs regulations, food aid, food shortage, humanitarian aid, medicinal product, shortage, simplification of formalities

C 289/12

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.10.1999

(1999/C 289/015)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2902/98

by Robin Teverson (ELDR) to the Commission

(2 October 1998)

Subject: Directive 96/23/EC

Has Directive 96/23/EC (1) now been fully implemented by all Member States? Are the Member States fully
complying with the requirements concerning the collection of data? What are the results of the tests for illegal
growth hormones?

(1) OJ L 125, 23.5.1996, p. 10.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(13 November 1998)

Council Directive 96/23/EC of 29 April 1996 on measures to monitor certain substances and residues thereof
in live animals and animal products and repealing Directives 85/358/EEC and 86/469/EEC and Decisions 89/
187/EEC and 91/664/EEC, has been implemented by 11 Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece,
Spain, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and United Kingdom). France has partially
implemented the Directive while Ireland, Italy and Portugal have not yet done so. The Commission has
started infringement proceedings against those Member States that have not yet implemented this Directive.

In 1998 all Member States submitted a national plan for residues and the Commission has adopted the
appropriate decisions following a favourable opinion of the standing veterinary committee.

The Commission is sending the test results for 1996 direct to the Honourable Member and to the Parliament’s
Secretariat. The Commission has no data available yet concerning the results of tests for illegal growth
hormones carried out in 1997. It is making every effort to collect this data. For 1998, the Directive obliges
Member States to report the results to the Commission by 31 March 1999 at the latest.

(1999/C 289/016)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2914/98

by Riitta Myller (PSE) to the Commission

(2 October 1998)

Subject: Shortage of food and medicines in Russia

The political and economic crisis in Russia has led to a shortage of food and medicines in many areas. It is
illustrative of the seriousness of the situation that requests for aid have been sent to the Finnish authorities
from areas bordering on the EU, such as Karelia and Murmansk. According to information which has reached
the Finnish cities of Imatra and Lappeenranta, the worst difficulties are being experienced by hospitals,
children’s homes and institutes for the disabled. The position of pensioners is also difficult. In Finland a
number of national organisations, and the charity Church Foreign Aid (Kirkon Ulkomaanapu), have sent food
aid to Russian Karelia.

Creating political and economic stability in Russia is a vital objective for the European Union too. Decent
social conditions are clearly one basic requirement for bringing about political stability. The EU must be
prepared to send humanitarian aid, which must include support to enable transport systems to function
properly. The Russian authorities must be required to take measures so that transport can flow freely, such as
reducing the customs bureaucracy faced by aid consignments.

In April 1997 the European Parliament adopted joint resolution B4-0299/97, in which it stated that the
European Union has a moral obligation to give support to the people in its bordering regions during a
profound economic and social crisis. In that resolution Parliament urged the Commission and the Council to
launch a programme of immediate and direct humanitarian aid to the population in the regions of Karelia and