WRITTEN QUESTION E-3689/00 by Jorge Hernández Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Research into the properties of olive-oil that prevent heart attacks.
Date: 2000-11-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Spain, cardiovascular disease, disease prevention, olive oil, research expenditure (EU)

6.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 163 E/197

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(5 January 2001)

Official development assistance, measured in terms of a percentage of donor countries(cid:146) gross national
product (GNP) in line with the definitions approved by the Development Assistance Committee of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), does vary widely from one country to
another. In general the Commission believes international official development assistance, which has fallen
to a fairly low level, should be stepped up. In the context of work on development financing within the
UN, the Community has reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation and its desire to work towards meeting
the target of 0,7 % of GNP. A number of Member States (cid:129) Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden (cid:129) have
either reached or exceeded this target. In 1999 the Community average was 0,31 % of GNP. In terms of
international performance it is not clear that a specific European target would offer any added value. On
the other hand, the scope for stepping up the Member States(cid:146) performance does deserve to be examined, in
particular as regards aid to the least advanced countries, by reference to the United Nations target of
0,15 % of GNP.

(2001/C 163 E/229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3689/00

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 November 2000)

Subject: Research into the properties of olive-oil that prevent heart attacks

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and the Spanish Olive Grove Authority have entered into an
agreement with a leading Spanish medical research institute whereby an institute research team is to
study the benefits of olive-oil from the point of view of preventing heart attacks.

When the agreement was signed, the senior Agriculture Ministry representative welcomed the fact that this
new avenue of research had been opened up and pointed out that, because of Mediterranean eating habits,
the incidence of the various cardiovascular diseases in Spain was below average.

Given the interest of this medical research, does the Commission consider that it should assist the research
work by contributing part of the funding and enabling the final reports summarising the researchers(cid:146)
findings to be publicised as widely as possible?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(17 January 2001)

The Commission would like to inform the Honourable Member that it is aware of the fact that a low
intake of saturated and a high intake of monounsaturated lipid, which can be realised by including olive oil
in the diet, is associated with a low risk of heart disease.

The Commission might indeed consider an application for funding the research work described by the
Honourable Member under the condition that the research is submitted as a proposal to key action 1
(cid:145)Food, Nutrition and Health(cid:146) within the specific programme (cid:145)Quality of Life and Management of Living
Resources(cid:146) under the Fifth Framework Research Programme.

For the time being, the Commission is not funding a specific project on the relation between olive oil and
its anti-atherosclerotic functions, however, research is being carried out on the function of olive oil for
health and well-being among other aspects of the Mediterranean diet, within two projects within the
Fourth and Fifth Framework Programmes of research and technological development.

(cid:145)Dietary Habits Profile in European Communities with
The first project is a share-cost project entitled:
Different Risk of Myocardial
Infarction: The Impact of Migration as a Model of Gene/Environment
Interaction(cid:146) and will commence in January 2001. In this project, risk factors influenced by both nutrition
and genetic polymorphisms are being studied.

C 163 E/198

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2001

The second project is called (cid:145)Nutritional Enhancement of Diet in Europe (Neodiet)(cid:146), where one of the issues
studied were plant sterols like polyphenols, which contribute to the healthy image of olive oil and improve
its stability. The project has been financed within the scope of the concerted action FAIR-CT97-3052.

(2001/C 163 E/230)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3690/00

by Jorge HernÆndez Mollar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(29 November 2000)

Subject: EU contribution to the Andalusian plan to promote development in Morocco

The Andalusian Regional Government will be allocating ESP 1 500 million to finance operations to
promote development in Morocco under a cross-border plan, which will initially remain in force until
2005.

The programme is the first to have been agreed between a European region and a country linked by such
close ties to the Union as Morocco. In addition to the contributions from the Autonomous Community of
Andalusia and Morocco, the Andalusian Regional Government takes the view that the Union should be
involved in the project, since this would boost the Intered and Medea programmes already under way.

Can the Commission say whether it is willing to accept the suggestion by the Andalusian regional
government spokesman that it should participate actively in the joint programme being undertaken by
Morocco and Andalusia by offering its active assistance and material support to enable the programme to
achieve its aims?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(20 December 2000)

The Commission welcomes the aid of ESP 1 500 million pesetas which Andalusia is to earmark for a cross-
frontier development plan with the Kingdom of Morocco. This cross-border cooperation will certainly help
to develop the north of the country, the region which is the main source of the migratory pressure upon
the EU from Morocco.

As regards the MEDA II (2000-2006) programme, the Commission compiled a country strategy paper
(CSP), which was discussed with the Member States. This CSP served as a basis for drawing up, with the
Moroccan authorities, the 2000-2002 national indicative programme (NIP). The Member States delivered a
positive opinion on the NIP, which was recently adopted by the Commission.

Since no such request was made by the Kingdom of Morocco, the 2000-2002 NIP does not include any
cross-border project or programme. Under the MEDA regulation cross-frontier projects cannot be financed
under bilateral programming.

The Commission could consider financing a Moroccan component of a project under the Interreg
programme, which covers only the frontier areas of the EU, if the Kingdom of Morocco so requested and
if the Member States agreed as part of a future revision of the NIP.