WRITTEN QUESTION E-2465/00 by Mary Banotti (PPE-DE) to the Commission. European standards for the embalming and transfer of remains.
Date: 2000-07-24
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU national, European standard, approximation of laws, customs document, death, intra-EU transport

C 136 E/40

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.5.2001

The joint PEACE II programme is expected to be adopted in the autumn. This should enable projects to be
financed on the ground by the end of 2000.

(1) Point 44 (b) of Presidency Conclusions (cid:129) Berlin 24/25 March 1999.
(2) Article 7 (4) of Council Regulation (EC) No1260/1999 of 21 June 1999 laying down general provisions on the

Structural Funds (OJ L 161, 26.6.1999).

(2001/C 136 E/043)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2465/00

by Mary Banotti (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2000)

Subject: European standards for the embalming and transfer of remains

The question of repatriation of human remains within the EU was dramatically brought to my attention
with the case of the transfer of the body of a person who died suddenly in Portugal to Ireland. The body
arrived in such an advanced state of decay that the family were unable to view the body before the funeral,
thus causing unnecessary added stress to the family concerned.

Given that EU citizens are moving more and more frequently between Member States both for work and
leisure and that inevitably there will be an increase in the number of transfers of remains from one EU
Member State to another, would the Commission consider looking into the provision of a regulation
governing standards in the field of embalming and transfer of remains in order to avoid such distressing
circumstances arising in the future?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(11 October 2000)

The Commission regrets the distress suffered by the family of the dead person to whom the question
refers.

Regulations governing the transfer of remains of dead persons are laid down in the International
Agreement of Berlin (1937, No 4391 League of Nations Treaty Series) and by the Agreement on the
transfer of corpses of the Council of Europe concluded in September 1973. As stated in its reply to
Written Questions E-0144/95 and E-0428/95 by Mr White (1), the Commission, following extensive
consultations with all parties concerned, concluded that detailed harmonisation of national rules in this
area over and above what already exists is neither desirable nor necessary and would not be justified from
the point of view of subsidiarity and proportionality.

(1) OJ C 202, 7.8.1995.

(2001/C 136 E/044)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2483/00

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2000)

Subject: Euro information campaign

How much of the € 32 million allocated to the Prince programme in 2000 will be spent on the euro

1.
information campaign, and how much will be spent in 2001?

In its communication on communications strategy in the last phases of the completion of EMU

2.
(COM(2000) 57 final), the Commission states that:

The campaign the euro, one currency for Europe was launched in 1996 as part of the Prince
programme (information programme for the European citizen) and more than € 117 million has
been commited in the last four years. In 1998/1999 around two-thirds was spent through agreements.