Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council extending certain programmes of Community action in the field of public health adopted by Decisions No. 645/96/EC, No. 646/96/EC, No. 647/96/EC, No. 102/97/EC, No. 1400/97/EC and No. 1296/1999/EC and amending those Decisions"
Date: 2000-11-29
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, public health

C 116/96

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

20.4.2001

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Decision of the European
Parliament and of the Council extending certain programmes of Community action in the
field of public health adopted by Decisions No. 645/96/EC, No. 646/96/EC, No. 647/96/EC,
No. 102/97/EC, No. 1400/97/EC and No. 1296/1999/EC and amending those Decisions’

(2001/C 116/20)

On 15 September 2000 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 152 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above mentioned proposal.

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 14 November 2000. (The rapporteur working
without a study group was Mr Fuchs).

At its 377th plenary session on 29 and 30 November 2000 (meeting of 29 November) the Economic
and Social Committee adopted the following opinion with 110 votes in favour and three abstentions.

1.

Introduction

— action plan to combat cancer (4);

1.1.
The proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament
and of the Council on the extension of the Community public
health programmes forms part of the health strategy which
the Commission recently presented (1).

The new health strategy comprises a framework for
1.2.
action in the field of public health and inter-linked and
mutually-supportive components in other Community policies
and activities that have an influence on factors that affect
health. As part of the public health framework, a new, overall,
programme for action in the field of public health has
been proposed by the Commission for adoption by the
European Parliament and the Council pursuant to Article 152
of the EC Treaty (2). The new programme will replace the
current programmes of action in the public health field.

— action programme on the prevention of AIDS and certain

other communicable diseases (5);

— action programme on the prevention of drug depen-

dence (6).

The following Community action programmes and plans
expire on 31 December 2001:

— action programme on health monitoring (7);

— action programme on pollution-related diseases (8).

1.4.
Actions under the existing programmes are vital for
pursuing the public health objectives of the Community and
damage will be caused, in policy and field activity terms, if
they are discontinued.

1.3.
In view of the need for completion of the co-decision
procedure concerning the proposal for the new public health
programme, it is possible that adoption of the relevant decision
of the European Parliament and of the Council will not take
place before the end of some of the existing programmes.

The extension of the programmes that are due to end
1.5.
in 2000 and 2001 should, however, be limited in time until
the new public health programme comes into force. For this
reason, it is proposed to extend these six programmes until
31 December 2002.

The following Community action programmes and plans
expire on 31 December 2000:

2. General comments

— action programme on health promotion, information,

education and training (3);

2.1.
The Economic and Social Committee welcomes the
Commission proposal that the six Community public health
programmes be extended to 31 December 2002.

(1) Communication on the health strategy of the European Com-

munity (COM(2000) 285 final).

(2) See ESC Opinion on the Proposal for a Decision of the European
Parliament and of the Council adopting a programme of Com-
munity action in the field of public health (2001-2006).

(3) Decision No. 645/96/EC — OJ L 95, 16.4.1996.

(4) Decision No. 646/96/EC — OJ L 95, 16.4.1996.
(5) Decision No. 647/96/EC — OJ L 95, 16.4.1996.
(6) Decision No. 102/97/EC — OJ L 19, 22.1.1997.
(7) Decision No. 1400/97/EC — OJ L 193, 22.7.1997.
(8) Decision No. 1296/1999/EC — OJ L 155, 22.6.1999.

20.4.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 116/97

2.2.
Until the new, comprehensive public health action
programme, which is to replace the current action pro-
grammes, is adopted the Committee considers it necessary to

make it possible for the measures implemented under these
programmes to continue.

Brussels, 29 November 2000.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Göke FRERICHS

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation
extending the programme of incentives and exchanges for legal practitioners in the area of civil
law (Grotius — civil)’

(2001/C 116/21)

On 2 October 2000 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship, which was responsible for preparing the
Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 14 November 2000. The rapporteur was
Mr Cavaleiro Branda˜o and the co-rapporteurs were Ms Florio and Mr Herna´ndez Bataller.

At its 377th plenary session (meeting of 29 November 2000), the Economic and Social Committee
adopted the following opinion with 112 votes in favour and two abstentions.

1.

Introduction

1.1.
The Grotius programme was adopted in 1996 on the
basis of Article K.3 of the EU Treaty. The programme was to
run from 1996 to 2000, so is due to expire at the end of this
year.

The programme is designed to facilitate judicial cooper-
1.2.
ation between Member States by fostering mutual knowledge
of legal and judicial systems. It is aimed at legal practitioners,
and provides funding for training, exchange and work-experi-
ence programmes, organisation of meetings, studies and
research, and the distribution of information.

1.4.
The Commission has been considering the future of
the Grotius-civil programme, and particularly its relations with
the Robert Schuman project to raise awareness of Community
law among members of the legal profession. This project
expires at the end of 2001.

The Commission proposes to continue the civil law
1.5.
strand of the Grotius programme for a further year, allocating
it EUR 650 000.

1.6.
Grants will be available for five types of activity:
training in languages and in comparative law, work experience
and visits abroad, organisation of conferences, coordination of
research on subjects relevant to judicial cooperation, and
dissemination of information on foreign law and judicial
cooperation.

1.3. With the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty,
judicial cooperation in the areas of civil and criminal law now
has two separate legal bases (Title IV of the EC Treaty and Title
VI of the EU Treaty respectively). The present regulation only
concerns the extension of the part of the Grotius programme
relating to judicial cooperation in civil matters (‘Grotius-civil’),
which is explicitly covered by Article 61 of the EC Treaty.

2. General comments

2.1.
The Committee endorses the aims of the Grotius
programme and its intended linkage with the Robert Schuman