WRITTEN QUESTION No. 570/99 by José BARROS MOURA Export from Portugal to Spain of bulls to be used in bullfights
Date: 1999-03-12
Institutions: BARROS MOURA, European Parliament
Subjects: Portugal, Spain, animal disease, animal show, beef, bull, death, health control, human nutrition, trade restriction

21.12.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 370/63

(1999/C 370/085)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0568/99

by Roberta Angelilli (NI) to the Commission

(12 March 1999)

Subject: Update on the URBAN programme in Rome

Having regard to my previous questions E-2221/97 (1) and E-3436/98 (2) and to the answer given to the
latter by Commissioner Wulf-Mathies on 25 January 1999, can the Commission provide further informa-
tion on the reported delays by the municipality of Rome in implementing the URBAN programme and on
the arrangements for the use of the funds? In particular, can it provide specific figures relating to the
URBAN programme in Rome and other Italian cities?

(1) OJ C 82, 17.3.1998, p. 46.
(2) OJ C 320, 6.11.1999.

Answer given by Mrs Wulf-Mathies on behalf of the Commission

(3 May 1999)

At the end of 1998, the municipality of Rome had committed 28 % of the URBAN budget available to it
and spent some 8,4 %.

A table, sent directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat, shows the relative position
for all the Italian URBAN municipalities (the figures are provisional).

The Honourable Member may wish to note that the budget available to Rome was reduced in November
1998 by 346 000 euro in view of the delays in implementation, but that current forecasts show a recovery
of the delays by the end of April when a commitment level of 70 % is expected.

(1999/C 370/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0570/99

by José Barros Moura (PSE) to the Commission

(12 March 1999)

Subject: Export from Portugal to Spain of bulls to be used in bullfights

As a follow-up to my two earlier questions (E-3620/98 and E-0151/99), and with reference to the
Commission’s reply of 22 January 1999 to my question E-3620/98 (1), would the human health concerns
which allegedly justify imposing the embargo on bullfighting bulls as well (even though they are fed on
pasture rather than on contaminated animal feed) not be entirely assuaged if Spain were to adopt the same
procedure as the one followed in Colombia in respect of
the
incineration of the carcass after the bullfight?

livestock imported from Spain,

i.e.

The 26 January 1999 of the ‘6 Toros 6’ magazine contains an authoritative report to the effect that
Spanish livestock may now be infected too, for which reason it should perhaps not be used for fights in
Spanish bullrings. Was it not an identical fear of contamination which led to the extension of the embargo
to include livestock raised in Portugal?

(1) OJ C 320, 6.11.1999.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(20 April 1999)

The Commission has not been able to confirm the information provided by the Honourable Member that
Spain has decided to incinerate all fighting bulls after the bull fights. According to the information
obtained by the Commission, most fighting bulls in Spain are normally destined for human consumption
after the bullfights.