WRITTEN QUESTION E-1488/01 by Jean-Claude Martinez (TDI) to the Commission. Fraud involving animal meal.
Date: 2001-05-18
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal feedingstuffs, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, cereal substitute, fraud, health risk, veterinary legislation

20.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 364 E/125

results. This list was not shown to interviewees, but used by interviewers to classify spontaneous answers
to questions. Interviewees were not prompted. Answers citing languages other than those listed were
classified as (cid:145)other language(cid:146).

Despite sophisticated statistical techniques aimed at ensuring even coverage of the whole territory of the
Union, the survey could not be expected to produce statistically significant results for languages like
Catalan, spoken by part of the population concentrated in a particular region. In response to the question
(cid:145)What is your mother tongue?(cid:146), 47 of the 1 000 Spanish interviewees cited a language not included in the
list. For Europe as a whole, 1,8 % of answers to this question fell into this category.

However,
the Commission has undertaken an in-depth study of regional and minority languages
(the Euromosaic study) which contains information on the number of speakers of Catalan and other
languages spoken in Europe that are not official languages of the Union. This information is available at
the following web site http://www.uoc.es/euromosaic or in print form from the Official Publications Office.

(2001/C 364 E/138)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1485/01

by Robert Goebbels (PSE) to the Council

(21 May 2001)

Subject: Identity checks at Charles de Gaulle airport

One of the major steps forward for a People(cid:146)s Europe was the Schengen Agreement and its incorporation,
through the protocol adopted at the European Council in Amsterdam, into the body of law on the basis of
which the European Union functions. However, one of the essential principles of the free movement of
persons within the Union, that is to say an end to systematic identity checks on Europeans travelling in the
Schengen area, is currently being flouted at Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy in France. Each passenger
travelling towards a destination within the Union is required by the Air France company to undergo
identity checks carried out by a security firm prior to entry into the departure lounges, requiring them to
pass through metal detectors.

What action does the Council intend to take in response to this new obstacle to freedom of movement?

Reply

(27 September 2001)

The Council would inform the Honourable Member that, with the entry into force of the Treaty of
including border control, fall within
Amsterdam, matters concerning immigration, visas and asylum,
Community competence pursuant to Title IV of the TEC. It is thus for the Commission, as guardian of the
Treaties, to ascertain whether Member States are fulfilling their obligations in these matters.

(2001/C 364 E/139)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1488/01

by Jean-Claude Martinez (TDI) to the Commission

(18 May 2001)

Subject: Fraud involving animal meal

In order to combat BSE or mad cow disease, France imposed a ban on animal meal intended for cattle in
July 1990 and, in July 1996, stepped up this measure by excluding (cid:145)specified risk material(cid:146) (SRM) such as
the brain, the spleen or the spinal cord.

C 364 E/126

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.12.2001

However, a case has recently come to light revealing the manufacture and fraudulent trade of several
thousand tonnes of animal meal intended for cattle which appears to have continued after 1996.

Given the gravity of the situation and the public health risk involved, what steps will the Commission
take?

Does it still consider it appropriate to reintroduce animal meal, even for non-ruminants, as it has
previously suggested?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2001)

The French judicial authorities are investigating the allegation of fraud on meat and bone meal. The
European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) is being informed of developments.

Based on the results to date of the inspections carried out by the Food and Veterinary Office, and the
differing scale of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) testing in different Member States, it is the
Commission(cid:146)s view that it is premature to suggest lifting the complete suspension of the feeding of meat
and bone meal to livestock. The current suspension which was due to expire on 30 June 2001, has,
therefore, been extended. In the meantime, efforts are continuing towards the adoption by the Council and
Parliament, and implementation by Member States, of the Regulation on animal by-products not intended
for human consumption (1).

This Regulation requires:

(a)

that only animal by-products derived from animals fit for human consumption may be used for
animal feed;

(b) a complete separation during collection, storage, transport, processing and use of animal waste not

intended for animal feed;

(c) a complete separation of rendering plants dedicated to feed production from rendering plants

processing other animal waste; and

(d)

stricter rules for traceability of animal by-products (including control on the movement of specified
risk material by means of record keeping systems, accompanying documents or health certificates and
marking of animal proteins and fats intended for destruction).

(1) OJ C 96 E, 27.3.2001.

(2001/C 364 E/140)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1489/01

by Giovanni Pittella (PSE) to the Commission

(18 May 2001)

Subject: Recruitment of OHIM staff

Given reports that:

(cid:129) the OHIM agency (Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market), which is responsible for
trademarks, designs and models and is based in Alicante, does not use competitions to recruit new
staff;

(cid:129) when new vacancy notices are published, candidates who submit applications that fulfil the stated

requirements are not invited to an interview;

(cid:129) in the last vacancy notice for category A staff (reference 00/24/A/CHR, closing date for submitting
applications was 15 October 2000), no document other than a curriculum vitae was requested;

(cid:129) in April 2001 an applicant was rejected without receiving any explanation;