WRITTEN QUESTION E-0895/01 by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Veterinary services and laboratories, programmes for eradicating and monitoring animal diseases and spending in the veterinary sector in Greece.
Date: 2001-03-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, Greece, disease prevention, foot-and-mouth disease, livestock, veterinary legislation

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of the police and security services, including the Bundesnachrichtendienst and Europol, in the context of
the Sensus project, without running up against the limits of national sovereignty?

(1) OJ C 187 E, 3.7.2001, p. 154.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(31 July 2001)

The Commission draws the attention of the Honourable Member to the fact that the question asked refers
to an institutional matter since it concerns the democratic control of the Parliament over activitites which
are included in the field of the competence of the Member States. This matter is beyond the Sensus project
and, in general, the framework Research and Technological Development (RDT) Programmes.

the Sensus project, however, AfA and Europol,

in signing a contract with the
In the context of
Commission, are subject to the same rights and obligations as the other Sensus project contractors, in
particular the requirement to submit cost statements, technical results and reports as well as accepting the
right of the Commission and the Court of Auditors to undertake audits.

(2001/C 364 E/028)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0895/01

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 March 2001)

Subject: Veterinary services and laboratories, programmes for eradicating and monitoring animal diseases

and spending in the veterinary sector in Greece

During the Year 2000 5 330 head of cattle, 3 500 goats and sheep and 450 pigs were slaughtered in
Greece (in the Prefectures of Evros and Xanthi) as a result of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease.
Furthermore, following checks carried out on the basis of Decisions 90/424/EEC (1) and 94/370/EEC (2) on
expenditure in the veterinary field and investigations into veterinary activities in specific sectors and the
programme for the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases, the Commission found that the
arrangements for combating various diseases in Greece (brucellosis among cattle and goats and sheep,
tuberculosis among cattle and scrapie among sheep) did not operate effectively and that the programmes
implemented were inadequate both from a veterinary point of view and from the point of view of financial
management.

To what extent do the veterinary services and laboratories in Greece operate on the basis of existing

1.
Community directives and regulations concerning the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases?

2.
How well equipped are the other Member States and Greece(cid:146)s neighbours (Turkey, Bulgaria, etc.) to
deal with foot-and-mouth disease, and what measures does it intend to take to tackle this disease
effectively?

On the basis of Decisions 2000/640/EC (3) and 2000/774/EC (4) on the adoption of certain
3.
programmes for the eradication, monitoring and prevention of zoonoses in Greece in 2001, what
measures must be taken to avoid losing Community funding, especially since the implementation of the
programmes for combating foot-and-mouth disease in Greece cost GRD 2,4 billion in the Year 2000?

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19.
(2) OJ L 168, 2.7.1994, p. 31.
(3) OJ L 269, 21.10.2000, p. 56.
(4) OJ L 308, 8.12.2000, p. 39.

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Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(4 July 2001)

1. Member States shall within the framework of Council Directive 82/894/EEC of 21 December 1982
on the notification of animal diseases within the Community (1) report to the European Commission and
other Member States on the appearance of a number of animal diseases which cause losses to animal
production and restrictions to trade. Greece has during the period of 1996-2000 reported the occurrence
of disease outbreaks as shown below:

Year

1996
1997
1998
1999
2000

Number of disease outbreaks

Foot-and-mouth disease

Blue tongue

Sheep pox

39
0
0
0
14

0
0
84
1 791
0

118
60
7
0
1

In relation to missions carried out by the Food and Veterinary Office (see website: http://europa.eu.int/
comm/food/index_en.html) a number of recommendations have been made to the Greek authorities.
Greece has undertaken to report to the Commission about their implementations within the next few
months.

The measures taken by Greece to control and eradicate foot-and-mouth disease, blue tongue and sheep pox
took into account the provisions of Council Directive 85/511/EEC of 18 November 1985 introducing
Community measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease (2) and of Council Directive 92/119/EEC of
17 December 1992 introducing general Community measures for the control of certain animal diseases
and specific measures relating to swine vesicular disease (3).

All Member States have,

2.
established contingency plans for the control of foot-and-mouth disease.

in accordance with the provisions of Council Directive 85/511/EEC,

With regard to the foot-and-mouth disease situation in Bulgaria it should be noted that
in 1991
Bulgaria adopted the non-vaccination policy of the EU. The last foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in
Bulgaria occurred in 1996. The disease was rapidly eradicated and the measures applied were in
conformity with the Bulgarian contingency plan.

In recent years outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease have been reported from several parts of Turkey. With
the aim to assist in combating foot-and-mouth disease in Turkey, the European Commission adopted
Decision 98/64/EC of 9 December 1998 on a Community financial contribution for improving the foot-
and-mouth disease control programme in Turkey (4). Since then assistance has been provided as regards the
supply of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine for use in Turkish Thrace.

In 2000 Greece presented a number of animal disease control programmes for Community co-
3.
financing. By Commission Decision 2000/640/EC (5) of 13 October 2000 on the list of programmes for
the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases and on the list of programmes of checks aimed at the
prevention of zoonoses qualifying for a financial contribution from the Community in 2001,
it was
decided that the following programmes presented by Greece shall qualify for a financial contribution in
2001: bovine brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, ovine and caprine brucellosis and scrapie. In accordance
with Commission Decision 2000/774/EC of 30 November 2000 approving the programmes for the
eradication and monitoring of animal diseases and for the prevention of zoonoses presented for the year
2001 by the Member States (6), the financial contribution from the Community shall be granted provided
that the actions planned are efficiently carried out and that the authorities supply all the necessary
information within the time limits laid down. Furthermore pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999
only expenditures undertaken in conformity with Community law shall be eligible for Community
financing. To improve animal disease eradication and to avoid losing Community funds during
implementation of approved programmes the Commission established a special task force in 2000 within
the framework of the White Paper on food safety (7). A sub-group of this task force has already addressed

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the brucellosis situation in Greece and issued recommendations on this matter. The implementation of the
recommendations will be followed within the normal monitoring system.

(1) OJ L 378, 31.12.1982.
(2) OJ L 315, 26.11.1985.
(3) OJ L 62, 15.3.1993.
(4) OJ L 16, 21.1.1998.
(5) OJ L 269, 21.10.2000.
(6) OJ L 308, 8.12.2000.
(7) COM(1999) 719 final.

(2001/C 364 E/029)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0896/01

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 March 2001)

Subject: Programmes for eradicating and monitoring animal diseases and spending in the veterinary sector

in Greece

During the year 2000, 5 330 head of cattle, 3 500 goats and sheep and 450 pigs were slaughtered in
Greece (in the Prefectures of Evros and Xanthi) as a result of outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease.
Furthermore, following checks carried out on the basis of Decisions 90/424/EEC (1) and 94/370/EEC (2) on
expenditure in the veterinary field and investigations into veterinary activities in specific sectors and the
programme for the eradication and monitoring of animal diseases, the Commission found that the
arrangements for combating various diseases in Greece (brucellosis among cattle and goats and sheep,
tuberculosis among cattle and scrapie among sheep) did not operate effectively and that the programmes
implemented were inadequate both from a veterinary point of view and from the point of view of financial
management.

In the light of existing information, will the Commission say:

(cid:129) Which irregularities have been found relating to the programmes for the eradication, monitoring and
combating of animal diseases and how much money has not been disbursed as part of
the
Community(cid:146)s financial contribution to Greece?

(cid:129) Has Greece submitted to the Commission, on the basis of Directive 90/423/EEC (3) on combating foot-
and-mouth disease, a (cid:145)plan of warning(cid:146) specifying the national measures to be put
into effect
immediately in the event of an outbreak of the disease? To what extent are they likely to achieve the
desired objective of rapidly and effectively eradicating outbreaks?

(cid:129) Can it confirm that there have been long delays by the veterinary services and laboratories in Greece
and that sanitary taxes over the last five years (GRD 40 billion.) have not been spent on laboratories,
research and equipment, as Community legislation requires?

(1) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19.
(2) OJ L 168, 2.7.1994, p. 31.
(3) OJ L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 13.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(21 June 2001)

With regard to exposure to diseases Greece is in a special situation because of its borders to third countries
which are infected with diseases exotic to the Community. Besides this, the Commission is well aware of
the difficulties occurring in Greece with regard to veterinary activities. The Commission therefore supports
several Greek veterinary activities (cid:129) technically and financially (cid:129) in order to detect and eliminate disease
outbreaks as quickly as possible.