WRITTEN QUESTION P-0273/01 by Niels Busk (ELDR) to the Commission. Transport of live animals by sea.
Date: 2001-02-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, animal welfare, live animal, maritime transport, protection of animals, transport of animals

C 340 E/16

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

(2001/C 340 E/018)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0261/01

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Council

(14 February 2001)

Subject: Right of Resale

Does the sale price net of tax, on which basis the right is to be claimed in accordance with the draft
Directive, include capital gains tax or its equivalent, and how is this to be calculated in a resale involving
several different national tax laws?

(2001/C 340 E/019)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0263/01

by Lord Inglewood (PPE-DE) to the Council

(14 February 2001)

Subject: Right of Resale

In the event of a resale involving persons liable to two or more national VAT and/or sales tax regimes,
how is the sale price net of tax to be calculated for the purposes of the draft Directive on the Right of
Resale? In the event that the VAT/sales tax treatment rules have yet to be agreed, on what basis will the
right be calculated?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0257/01, E-0259/01, E-0261/01 and E-0263/01

(13 July 2001)

The questions asked by the Honourable Member relate to matters which remain the responsibility of the
Member States and answers will therefore depend on the measures adopted by Member States when
implementing the Directive on the resale right for the benefit of the author of an original work of art, as
well as on other relevant provisions of national law.

(2001/C 340 E/020)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0273/01

by Niels Busk (ELDR) to the Commission

(2 February 2001)

Subject: Transport of live animals by sea

In February 2000, Commissioner Byrne announced to Parliament(cid:146)s Committee on the Environment, Public
Health and Consumer Policy a number of measures for improving animal welfare. The promised measures
included a proposal for a directive on standards for certain vessels used for the transport of live animals.
The Commission is required to submit such a proposal pursuant to Article 13 of Directive 91/628 (1).

Ensuring that vessels meet certain minimum standards must be regarded as an important step towards
improving the welfare of animals transported by sea.

A draft proposal was reportedly the subject of consultations with the interest groups concerned as far back
as 1999. Will the Commissioner therefore say whether the Commission intends to submit the proposal to
the Council and the European Parliament?

(1) OJ L 340, 11.12.1991, p. 17.

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/17

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(27 April 2001)

The Commission adopted on 6 December 2000 a report on the protection of animals during transport (1).
The report aims at analyzing the level of implementation by Member States of the Community legislation
in this field and recommends future actions. In this report the Commission considers further legislative
proposals essential in order to improve the current situation.

For detailed information on its future initiatives in this field the Commission refers the Honourable
Member to its reply to Written Question P-0117/01 by Mrs Paulsen (2).

As far as specific means of transport are concerned, the Commission report indicates that transportation
by road over long distance is the most critical area which needs immediate action.

The Commission report also points out that the enforcement of the current Community rules and the
development of a better system of information between the authorities of the Member States should be
undertaken as a matter of priority during the forthcoming months.

As a consequence the Commission intends to put forward a proposal on sea-vessels as soon as the
different priorities set up in the Commission report have been achieved.

(1) COM(2000) 809 final.
(2) OJ C 187 E, 3.7.2001, p. 189.

(2001/C 340 E/021)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0282/01

by Reimer B(cid:246)ge (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(9 February 2001)

Subject: Beef imports from third countries

In the interest of preventive consumer protection the Council has decided that cattle over the age of 30
months should undergo an instant BSE test on slaughter or, if no test is carried out, should be removed
from the food chain.

Sweden, Finland and Austria are required to test animals aged over 30 months only when they are placed
on the internal market.

Can the Commission ensure that, with regard to meat imports where the level of risk in a given third
country is uncertain, testing will also be made a prerequisite?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(7 May 2001)

The development of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic in the Community at the end
of 2000 necessitated a further reinforcement of the protection of consumers against BSE. To this end
systematic testing of all bovine animals over 30 months of age entering the food chain was introduced as
of 1 January 2001.

The current tests for BSE are used to detect clinical BSE cases or BSE infected animals close to the clinical
phase. As the tests cannot detect the infection early in the incubation period, a negative test result is not as
such a guarantee that the animal was not infected. The most important direct public health protection
measure remains therefore the removal of specified BSE risk material at slaughter. The provisions on the
removal of specified BSE risk material already apply to all animals slaughtered in the Community, whether
imported meat, meat products and
of Community or third country origin. As of 1 April 2001,