WRITTEN QUESTION E-2190/00 by Gerard Collins (UEN) to the Commission. Availability of veterinary medicine.
Date: 2000-07-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Medicines Agency, marketing, pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical legislation, product quality, veterinary drug

C 81 E/170

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

(2001/C 81 E/217)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2185/00

by Struan Stevenson (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Possible fishing agreements with the Polisario Front

(3 July 2000)

In view of Morocco(cid:146)s continuing delays with regard to the EU fishing agreements on Moroccan and
Western Saharan waters and its obstruction of the UN referendum in Western Sahara, would the European
Commission consider it a positive step to conclude fishing agreements with the Polisario Front as the
legitimate and sovereign representative of the people of Western Sahara?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(1 August 2000)

The Polisario Front is one of the parties involved in the plan for settling the Western Sahara conflict
adopted and applied by the United Nations Security Council.

The Union, to date, has expressed its support for the implementation of this plan and for the efforts
undertaken currently by Mr Baker, the United Nations Secretary-General(cid:146)s representative for this conflict.

The Commission,
in the fisheries sector with Morocco, and
consequently at the time of any possible negotiations, will refer to (cid:145)Morocco(cid:146)s fishing zone(cid:146), this area
being defined as (cid:145)the waters coming under the sovereignty and/or the jurisdiction of Morocco(cid:146).

in the event of a future arrangement

Consequently, currently the only interlocutor with a view to a possible arrangement in the fisheries sector
remains Morocco.

(2001/C 81 E/218)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2190/00

by Gerard Collins (UEN) to the Commission

(3 July 2000)

Subject: Availability of veterinary medicine

In reply to my Oral Question H-0062/00 (1), the Commission stated that it would be prepared to consider
adapting the approach adopted in the regulation on orphan medicinal products to the development of
veterinary medicinal products.

Could the Commission state whether it has been sufficiently satisfied that such a development would
stimulate the availability of veterinary medicines for minor species?

Could it indicate a definitive date when it intends carrying out and completing an assessment of the issue
of whether public financing for developing these products can be permitted and/or made available?

(1) Written answer delivered on 15 February 2000.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(22 September 2000)

The Commission is examining the various possible options to respond, in the current circumstances, to the
problem posed by the non-availability of veterinary medicinal products for certain species or indications.
The European Agency for Medicinal Products and the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products, in
particular, are involved in this exercise.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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A possible solution would be to adopt an approach comparable to that for orphan medicinal products.
However, the effects of adopting any separate regulations would be felt only in the long-term. Moreover,
the efficacy of such a policy would be directly dependent on the extent to which it provided an incentive
to the veterinary pharmaceutical industry.

The acuteness of the problem of the non-availability of veterinary medicinal products is essentially due to
the ban which has been in place since 1 January 2000 on the marketing of medicinal products for which
no maximum residue limit had been set by that date,
in the absence of scientific data from the
manufacturers. The Commission is therefore planning to give priority to short-term measures, in particular
the possibility of extrapolating the maximum residue limits set for certain species to other species, on the
basis of the guidelines developed by the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products of the European
Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products.

In the medium term, the revision of pharmaceutical legislation which is planned for 2001 could also offer
an opportunity to propose adaptations to legislation in order to facilitate the marketing of new veterinary
products or the use of medicinal products which are available.

The Commission is, however, continuing to consider the possibility of also developing a similar policy for
veterinary medicinal products as was devised for orphan medicinal products, but it has not yet adopted a
draft timetable.

(2001/C 81 E/219)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2192/00

by Isidoro SÆnchez Garc(cid:237)a (ELDR) to the Commission

(3 July 2000)

Subject: Assessment of Community strategy vis-(cid:224)-vis immigration from Africa

How does the Commission assess the results obtained following the implementation of the Community
strategy designed to meet the challenges posed by immigration from Africa, particularly in regions which
form the European Union(cid:146)s external frontiers?

Anwer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(20 September 2000)

The Commission would like to point out that there is no specific Community strategy vis-(cid:224)-vis immigra-
tion from Africa.

It is only since the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty on 1 May 1999 that the Community enjoys
powers in the field of immigration policy (Title IV of the EC Treaty, Articles 61 et seq.). At the special
European Council meeting, held in Tampere (Finland) on 15 and 16 October 1999, the Heads of State and
Government of the 15 Member States adopted far-reaching conclusions on the way in which the future
Union immigration and asylum policy should be shaped.

The Heads of State and Government underlined the need for the development of a comprehensive
approach to migration addressing political, human rights and development issues in countries and regions
of origin and transit. In this connection, reference was made to the five action plans prepared by the high
level working group on migration and asylum which target the situation in a number of third countries
and could be considered a first step in the development of such a policy. Of these five action plans, two
focus on African countries, i.e. Morocco and Somalia.

The Heads of State and Government also expressed their support for the management of migration flows
at all stages and called for the development, in close co-operation with countries of origin and transit, of
information campaigns on the possibilities for legal migration, and for the prevention of all forms of
smuggling and trafficking in human beings. To this end, they invited the Council and Member States to
tackle, at its source, illegal immigration, especially by combating those who engage in trafficking of human
beings and economic exploitation of migrants, to adopt legislation to this end, foreseeing severe sanctions
against this serious crime, to direct, together with Europol, efforts to detecting and dismantling the
organised criminal networks involved, to secure the rights of the victims of trafficking in people with