WRITTEN QUESTION E-4087/00 by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission. Variant CJD ‐ the human form of BSE.
Date: 2001-01-10
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: action programme, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, disease of the nervous system, exchange of information, research programme

3.7.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 187 E/129

approved Work Programmes presented by Delegations and Representations. These Work Programmes
should cover all the target groups identified as significant in the strategy, among which non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) representing civil society certainly feature.

Work programmes for Delegations have been approved and include participating NGOs, but NGOs in the
Community still have time to present projects to Representations in Member States in getting in touch
with the relevant information officer. Nevertheless, projects will only be funded if they contribute towards
the overall understanding of enlargement, its challenges and opportunities, thus avoiding political misuse
based on fears and myths about its social and economic consequences.

(2001/C 187 E/136)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4087/00

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 January 2001)

Subject: Variant CJD (cid:129) the human form of BSE

Does the Commission agree that variant CJD should be renamed Human Spongiform Encepalopathy?

What is the European Union doing to encourage the exchange of medical experience in treating this
condition?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(28 February 2001)

1.
In 1996, a team from the United Kingdom Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) Surveillance Unit at
Edinburgh, published a paper (1) in which the authors reported findings which strongly implied a causal
link between bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and a variant of Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Although showing some significant neurological differences from the classical sporadic form, vCJD is
classified as a human neurodegenerative disease. It is named, indeed, after the person who investigated the
classical form of disease and therefore is firmly consolidated and accepted by the scientific and medical
world as vCJD.

The Commission launched a European Action Plan for TSE (2) research in 1996 which has mobilised
2.
€ 50 million to promote understanding, detection and combating of TSEs, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(CJD) in man and BSE in cows. About 150 laboratories are presently involved in 54 Community-funded
research projects on TSE diseases, which are addressing issues such as human prion diseases, the infectious
agent, risk assessment, treatment and prevention.

In particular,
it is worth mentioning a project on the development of TSE treatment based on prion
protein-binding sugars, which includes research teams from Germany, the United Kingdom, France and
Israel which aims primarily at identifying the mechanisms of inhibition of prion multiplication in cultured
cells.

Furthermore the Commission, on 15 December 2000, organised a meeting of national experts in TSE
research in order to analyse ongoing research activities, encourage exchange of information between
research teams and identify ongoing research topics which need strengthening as well as new research
areas. This group will present an interim report shortly.

C 187 E/130

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

3.7.2001

Article 152.5 (ex Article 129) of the EC Treaty States that (cid:145)Community action in the field of public health
shall fully respect the responsibilities of the Member States for the organisation and delivery of health
services and medical care (cid:133)(cid:146). The Commission will however consider possibilities for promoting exchange
of information on the best treatment for vCJD, which could be addressed within the framework of the new
public health programme (3) currently under discussion in Parliament and Council.

(1) R. G. Will et al., The Lancet 1996: 347;921-25, also available on www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/lancet.htm).
(2) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE).
(3) OJ C 337 E, 28.11.2000 and COM(2000) 285 final.

(2001/C 187 E/137)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4088/00

by Graham Watson (ELDR) to the Commission

(10 January 2001)

Subject: The floor coverings industry

Has the Commission studied training provision in the floor coverings industry? Does the Commission have
any plans for improvements in such provision?

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(8 March 2001)

The floor covering industry would potentially deal with a large and diversified area, including parquet
flooring, carpet laying, thermo-plastic tiles, ceramics etc. each requiring different skills and training.
Activity at European level is currently looking generally at training provision in the construction sector.

The Leonardo da Vinci programme provides support for innovation in vocational training. In the period
1995-1999 (first phase), it financed one project concerning the floor covering industry (cid:145)Vocational training
for tilers in Europe (1995) (cid:129) contractant: Assopiastrelle(cid:146). Moreover, several other projects fostered
innovation in training in the construction sector in general.

(2001/C 187 E/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4090/00

by Salvador Garriga Polledo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Improving the EU(cid:146)s trade relations with Mercosur and Chile

(10 January 2001)

The recent holding in Madrid of the First European Union, Latin America and Caribbean Business Summit,
which was attended by 19 European and Latin American businessmen, was an appropriate occasion for
discussing practical measures intended to improve the European Union(cid:146)s trade relations with Mercosur and
Chile.

During their courtesy visit to the leader of the Spanish Government the summit participants called for
Spain to take on the job of improving those relations by means of practical, effective measures, in view of
the special role played by Spain as an intermediary between the two economic blocs.

In response to a request made at the abovementioned summit should the Commission not propose that
a monitoring centre be set up in Madrid, the role of which would be to put forward initiatives and
proposals designed to enable business circles in the European Union and in Mercosur and Chile to improve
trade relations between the two economic blocs?