WRITTEN QUESTION P-0043/01 by María Rodríguez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Disposal of carcasses of ruminants as part of action to combat BSE.
Date: 2001-01-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Galicia, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, carcase, health control, health policy, infringement of EU law, public health, waste disposal

C 174 E/246

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

19.6.2001

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(14 February 2001)

1.
The Commission has been reviewing its priorities. In this context it has decided that it would no
longer be appropriate to be directly involved in the management of Europartenariat events. This decision
must be seen in the wider context of the reorientation of the Commission towards concentrating on core
activities rather than direct actions.

2.
The Commission is of the view that this decision should not have a negative impact on local actors,
nor should it be seen as a negative attitude of the Commission vis-(cid:224)-vis the intrinsic added value of such
events designed to facilitate co-operation between enterprises. In the Commission view, it does neither
prejudge their future development.

The Commission remains convinced that there are many economic players at local, national, or Commu-
nity level who remain prepared to organise such events, with or without the direct financial intervention
of
the Commission. The Council Decision 2000/819/EC of 20 December 2000 on a multiannual
programme for enterprise and entrepreneurship, and in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) (2001-2005) (1) provides for the Commission to develop actions to promote the organisation of
Europartenariat-type business co-operation events.

3.
The Commission will however not prepare a specific programme to financially support Europarte-
nariat-type events. It will continue its efforts aimed at facilitating co-operation between companies and
promoting internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterpises (SMEs) by other means, e.g. by its
innovation programme or the opportunity offered to candidate countries to participate in the multiannual
programme.

In the context of regional policy, support to SMEs remains an objective eligible for structural funds.

(1) OJ L 333, 29.12.2000.

(2001/C 174 E/265)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0043/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Rodr(cid:237)guez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(16 January 2001)

Subject: Disposal of carcasses of ruminants as part of action to combat BSE

The Commission will no doubt be aware of the reports that have appeared in the media about the
dumping of over three hundred animal carcasses in a disused quartz mine in Mes(cid:237)a, Galicia, without any
tests first having been carried out on the brain tissue of the animals concerned.

This infringement of Community law is made all the more serious by the fact that it was perpetrated by
the Xunta (the Galician autonomous government) itself,
in that the dumping was carried out by the
company which it has commissioned to collect dead cows for subsequent incineration.

The Spanish Ministry for Agriculture has shown a quite alarming passivity during this scandal, indicating
that it does not intend to take any action against the Xunta given that, in the Minister(cid:146)s opinion, nothing
needs to be done to rectify what the Xunta had been doing to combat BSE.

19.6.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174 E/247

Given that
Commission state:

the pathogen responsible for BSE can survive for years buried underground, can the

1. What impact the presence of the carcasses buried in Mes(cid:237)a might have on the health of the local

inhabitants?

2. How it is going about monitoring whether the anti-BSE measures adopted by the Council are being

properly implemented in the Member States?

3. Whether, given the magnitude of the crisis, it intends to take steps to ensure that all action taken is

fully in keeping with the measures adopted by the EU?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(2 March 2001)

The Commission considers that the risk involved has to be assessed by the Spanish authorities taking,
1.
for example, local factors into account, such as geology, catchment areas of drinking water, and the risk of
drainage of spoiled water into rivers.

Commission experts from the Commission(cid:146)s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) carry out regular on-
2.
the-spot checks in all Member States to verify the correct implementation of Community legislation on
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and related matters. The FVO carried out three missions to Spain
from September 1998 to April 2000 on issues related to BSE. Reports of these missions have been
published on the Health and Consumer Directorate general website. More recently the Commission has
launched a series of follow-up missions to the Member States. In this context a mission to Spain took place
from 11 to 15 December 2000 and the report is currently in preparation.

A new series of missions to the Member States will start
in March 2001 in order to verify the
implementation of the legislation recently adopted by the Council and which came into force on 1 January
2001.

3.
In relation to matters relating to public and animal health, the Commission(cid:146)s policy is to maintain a
high level of vigilance in order to ensure that Member States fully comply with their obligations under
Community law.

In a case where, after establishing the facts, it appears to the Commission that a Member State is not
fulfilling its obligations, the Commission is prepared to take all necessary action within its power in order
to secure the respect of Community law. In appropriate cases this action would include the opening of
infringement proceedings under Article 226 (ex Article 169) of the EC Treaty.

(2001/C 174 E/266)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0052/01

by Rosa MiguØlez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(16 January 2001)

Subject: BSE and burial of cows in Mesia (Galicia)

The Commission already knows of the macabre discovery of a tip where the corpses of cows had been
buried at the end of the year 2000, a story which was reported in the press all over Europe.

Responsibility for dumping the animals was quickly admitted by the regional authorities. The reasons
given to consumers farmers and the general public by the politicians concerned raise questions about the
decisions adopted by the EU Council of Ministers on 4 December, since it was maintained that the animals
found at Mesias were not suspected of having mad cow disease and that the burials (cid:145)involved no risk and
were carried out in strict compliance with the law(cid:146).