WRITTEN QUESTION E-2905/00 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Accession negotiations with Cyprus.
Date: 2000-09-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cyprus, accession negotiations, accession to the European Union, biotope, environmental protection, protected area

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/19

The white paper on a future Community chemicals policy, which should be adopted by the Commission
before the end of this year, will provide more detail on ways in which our knowledge about the properties
of chemicals can be improved in order to ensure their safe use. It is not possible to give an estimate of the
number of animals required in order to meet the safety testing requirements for chemicals until the details
of the new strategy have been decided.

(1) OJ B 196, 16.8.1967.

(2001/C 163 E/018)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2905/00

by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 September 2000)

Subject: Accession negotiations with Cyprus

Environmental groups in Cyprus claim that the government is failing to take measures to protect the
sensitive environment of the Akamas peninsula or to enforce court rulings or such legislation as already
exists to protect the area from development.

Will, or have, the specific concerns about the Akamas peninsula, and the more general issues they raise
legislation, play any part in the
about environmental protection and enforcement of environmental
accession negotiations relating to the environment chapter?

Has any indication been given by the government that the Akamas will be declared a special area of
conservation under the Natura 2000 programme, and if so how much of the peninsula will be so
included?

Will EU negotiators insist that measures are taken to protect the Akamas before closing the environment
chapter of the negotiations?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(6 November 2000)

The Commission is aware that the environmental protection of the Akamas peninsula is a subject of
intense debate both within and outside Cyprus. As already indicated in its answer to Written Question
E-1781/00 by Mrs Frassoni (1), the Commission is following this subject closely through the various means
at its disposal. These include in particular the chapter of the accession negotiations relating to the
environment, on-going technical contacts with the Cypriot authorities on environmental questions, and
the various pre-accession instruments, such as the regular report on progress towards accession. The
accession negotiations on environment, as in other chapters, take account not only of legal transposition
but also implementation of the relevant acquis. The commitments made by the candidate countries in the
negotiations are being closely monitored.

Furthermore, the candidate countries have been reminded of the Council conclusions of 24 September
1998 on accession strategies for the environment, in which it was stated that all new investment should
comply with the environmental acquis
As part of the preparations for accession in relation to the environment, Cyprus will, in respect of the
habitats directive, Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992, on the conservation of natural habitats
and of wild fauna and flora (2), present a list of proposed sites to be designated as special areas of
conservation for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network. The proposal will include a clear definition of the
boundaries of the areas in question. A project under the LIFE programme, which is assisting the Cypriot
authorities in this task, has identified the Akamas region in an indicative list of such areas.

C 163 E/20

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2001

The Cypriot authorities have informed the Commission of interim decisions taken in March 2000 intended
to provide for sustainable management of the Akamas peninsula. These include continuing the dialogue
with all parties in order to reach, if possible, a consensus decision and taking a number of concrete steps
to clean up and improve the condition of the area. The dialogue with the parties concerned would be
guided by a number of objectives, including the acquisition of private properties enclaved within the state
forest, prevention of tourist development in the (cid:145)Lara Toxeftra(cid:146) area (an important sea turtle habitat), while
allowing mild and rational development outside the state forest with respect for the environment. Final
decisions would be taken by the Cypriot authorities after the dialogue is completed, taking account of the
relevant Community acquis, and international and national obligations.

(1) OJ C 89 E, 20.3.2001, p. 85.
(2) OJ L 206, 22.7.1992.

(2001/C 163 E/019)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2908/00

by Giuseppe Nistic(cid:242) (PPE-DE) and Francesco Fiori (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(14 September 2000)

Subject: e-commerce and medicinal products

The Commission(cid:146)s attention is drawn to an extremely delicate subject which the authors have already had
the opportunity of discussing directly, albeit informally, with Commissioner Byrne: the sale of medicinal
products via the Internet.

This type of commerce is covered by the following European legislation:

(cid:129) Directive 97/7/EC (1) on the sale of goods by means of distance contracts: Article 14 of this directive
offers Member States the option of prohibiting the sale of medicinal products by means of such
contracts;

(cid:129) Directive 97/36/EC (2) on teleshopping, Article 14 of which prohibits teleshopping for medicinal

products;

(cid:129) Directive 92/28/EEC (3) on the advertising of medicinal products.

This directive prohibits the advertising of medicinal products which are available only on medical
prescription.

(cid:129) Medicinal products are not mere consumer products, but substances which affect the health of
European citizens, having the power to save lives or improve their quality, but also to produce toxic
side-effects which may sometimes even be fatal.

(cid:129) The public is concerned about the various types of medicinal products that can be purchased
electronically,
in that no guarantee or certainty is provided with regard to the correct dosage or
absence of contaminants; moreover, it is highly unlikely that potentially dangerous interactions with
other medicines taken simultaneously by the patient are taken into account.

(cid:129) The EU has developed its own system for the marketing of medicinal products (cid:129) including the

establishment of the EMEA (cid:129) to guarantee their safety, quality and efficacy.

(cid:129) The global nature of the Internet eliminates national and/or European borders, enabling people to buy
not only over-the-counter medicines, powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropics, cardiovascu-
lar medicines and hormones, etc. but also medicinal products which have not been approved in the
EU, bypassing the safeguards provided by both national and centralised EMEA authorisations.

(cid:129) Given the above, and that in over 100 countries there are no laws to regulate the marketing of

medicinal products, with obvious consequences on the safety, quality and efficacy of such products,