WRITTEN QUESTION E-2402/00 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Subsidies for Alzheimer's projects.
Date: 2000-07-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: budget, disease of the nervous system, elderly person, financial aid, quality of life

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/197

In response to this application Commission inspectors were sent on mission to Aden (Yemen) in November
1998 to carry out an inspection, as a result of which they asked Shifco to make a whole series of technical
modifications to the fleet. This work was carried out, despite difficult environmental conditions and very
high costs. In the end the UAV (veterinary food hygiene authority) issued a favourable opinion in its final
inspection report (mentioning clearly the type of ships inspected, i.e. freezer ships).

Now, two years later, the relevant Commission department has discovered that Directive 91/493/EEC only
applies to factory ships, not to freezer ships, of which the Shifco fleet has always consisted.

If, therefore, the above-mentioned directive does not apply to freezer ships, why did the Commission
inspectors request alterations to be made? Is a particular person responsible for this oversight? How can
the Commission remedy the damage caused to Shifco, not only to recover the cost of work carried out
unnecessarily, but also to compensate for the serious economic and social consequences of suspension of
work for the 500 Italian crew members and above all the approximately 2 000 Somali employees?

(1) OJ L 122, 14.5.1997, p. 21.
(2) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, p. 15.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(15 September 2000)

As mentioned by the Honourable Member, Commission experts carried out an on-the-spot check on the
five vessels operated by the company in question on 18 November 1998. This inspection revealed that the
vessels were in fact freezer vessels and not factory vessels as had been indicated in the documents provided
by the company before the inspection. The inspection also revealed minor deficiencies of the vessels, and
the company immediately engaged itself to correct these.

Since then the Commission has provided representatives of this company with all the information
requested and has done everything possible to assist them in identifying possible solutions to the problems
linked to the request for a derogation based on Article 11.6 of the Council Directive 91/493/EEC of 22 July
1991 laying down the health conditions for the production and the placing on the market of fishery
products. The Commission recognises the difficulties the company is facing which are largely due to the
absence of controls by a competent authority in Somalia. The company must now assess the possible
solutions indicated and determine which of them best suits their intention to export fishery products
through their vessels to the Community.

(2001/C 81 E/252)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2402/00

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(18 July 2000)

Subject: Subsidies for Alzheimer(cid:146)s projects

Alzheimer Europe is an umbrella organisation of 28 associations in Europe in support of Alzheimer(cid:146)s
patients. In 1999 the European Parliament adopted an amendment to devote € 2,5 million to (cid:145)activities
geared to improving the quality of life of persons suffering from Alzheimer(cid:146)s disease and of their (informal)
carers(cid:146).

The Commission has not yet published any tenders for awarding this financial support. It appears that the
Commission itself intends to transfer the budget intended for Alzheimer(cid:146)s to the general health budget.

C 81 E/198

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

Has the Commission now published tenders for financial aid to Alzheimer(cid:146)s projects and/or
1.
organisations? If so, when and in what form? If not, when will the Commission publish tenders for
financial aid to Alzheimer(cid:146)s projects and/or organisations?

2.
Is the Commission considering transferring the budget intended for Alzheimer(cid:146)s to the general health
budget? If so, how does the Commission reconcile this choice of policy with the amendment adopted by
the European Parliament in 1999 to devote € 2,5 million to (cid:145)activities geared to improving the quality of
life of persons suffering from Alzheimer(cid:146)s disease and of their (informal) carers(cid:146)?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(14 September 2000)

The Commission recognises the good cause for which organisations such as Alzheimer Europe are
working, and agrees with the Parliament on the importance of improving the quality of life both of
those suffering from Alzheimer(cid:146)s and related diseases and of those who care for them.

However, concerning budget line B3-4307 of this year(cid:146)s budget (pilot projects aimed at improving the
quality of life of patients suffering from neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer(cid:146)s, and of persons
who care for Alzheimer patients in a non-professional capacity), the Commission had to outline at various
meetings of the Parliament(cid:146)s committee on budgets that for legal reasons, the Commission is not in a
position to implement this budget line. In fact, the interinstitutional agreement of 6 May 1999 lays down
its point 37 that pilot projects cannot be implemented for more than two budgetary years. Pilot projects
related to Alzheimer(cid:146)s disease have already been financed in 1997 and 1998 (1). Implementing budget line
B3-4307 of this year(cid:146)s budget would therefore imply that pilot projects on Alzheimer(cid:146)s and related diseases
would be financed for a third budgetary exercise, which (cid:129) given the almost identical wording in the three
exercises concerned (cid:129) would be in clear violation of the interinstitutional agreement.

Moreover, the interinstitutional agreement also states that the objective of pilot projects is to test the
feasibility and usefulness of activities. However, implementing pilot projects on Alzheimer(cid:146)s and related
diseases one more time this year would not serve that purpose, as activities carried out in previous years
have already exploited the limited scope which the public health provisions contained in Article 152
(ex Article 129) of the EC Treaty give to the Community in this area.

In the light of the above considerations, and following the discussions at the committee on budgets, the
member responsible for the budget in a letter of 11 July 2000 addressed to the chairman of the
committee, has in fact confirmed that the Commission cannot implement the budget line B3-4307 and
explained in detail the legal reasons underlying the Commission(cid:146)s position, which implies that no calls for
proposals will be published under this budget line. In order to take advantage of the € 2,5 million foreseen
for budget line B3-4307, the Commission is currently examining in what other way the credits could
possibly be used.

As far as research aspects linked to Alzheimer(cid:146)s disease are concerned, funding opportunities exist under
the Fifth research and technological development (RTD) framework programme(cid:146)s thematic programme on
quality of life and management of living resources (key action 6: The ageing population and disabilities).

(1) Moreover, the Parliament had decided to earmark € 5 million for activities related to Alzheimer(cid:146)s disease in the

1996 budget under budget line B3-4300 (health promotion programme).