WRITTEN QUESTION E-2047/01 by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Information and public relations.
Date: 2001-07-13
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Community budget, EU programme, dissemination of EU information, information, public relations

6.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 134 E/9

Marker vaccines should make it possible to adopt a different method of combating animal disease that
would provoke less public resistance.

Is the Commission confident that the business world itself will be in a position within a reasonable

1.
time to develop marker vaccines against swine fever?

Is the Commission prepared in the short term to make funds available from its research programmes

2.
to ensure that such marker vaccines can be made available for use as soon as possible?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(4 September 2001)

Marker vaccines can be defined as vaccines stimulating a protective immunity distinguishable from the
immune response to a natural
infection by means of laboratory tests able to discriminate between
vaccinated healthy animals and those that, having been exposed to the disease after vaccination, may
spread the disease further.

New vaccines that might potentially be used as marker vaccines against classical swine fever (CSF) have
already been developed. The current main limiting factor to their use is that no discriminatory tests are
available to reliably distinguish between vaccinated animals and infected ones. However, further research is
on-going on these vaccines and the associated discriminatory tests.

In the case of foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines, research is on-going to develop and validate
discriminatory tests to be used in association with the already available conventional vaccines, originally
not intended to be used as marker vaccines, as well as to develop new vaccines designed to be marker
vaccines and the associated discriminatory tests.

The Community has supported research into infectious diseases of livestock in successive Research and
Technological Development (RTD) Framework Programmes since 1989.

As regards CSF and FMD marker vaccines or strictly related matters, since 1994 the Commission has
supported or is supporting:

0 seven RTD projects (total cost: € 9,54 million);

0 two concerted actions (total cost: € 0,45 million);

0 a trial to assess the potential use of CSF marker vaccines in emergencies (€ 0,75 million).

In the on-going 5th RTD Framework Programme, research on diseases of livestock is foreseen in the
‘Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources Programme’. In particular, the development of
marker vaccines for diseases such as FMD and CSF included in the List A of the International Office of
Epizootics (IOE) is clearly marked as a priority in Key Action 2 ‘Control of Infectious Diseases’.

It is foreseen that several research proposals on FMD will be submitted within the next deadline of the 5th
Framework Programme, with the closing date of 18 October 2001.

(2002/C 134 E/010)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2047/01

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Information and public relations

(13 July 2001)

How much of the budget for Commission programmes is spent on information and public relations?

Are any journalists employed in the promotion of any of these programmes?

C 134 E/10

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

6.6.2002

Answer given by Mrs Reding on behalf of the Commission

(15 October 2001)

Title B3-3 of the Community budget is dedicated to ‘Information and Communication’ and provides for
€ 86,6 millions in commitments in the 2001 budget. Additional € 16,5 millions of commitment credits
have been put into the reserve (chapter B0-40) by the Budget Authority. It must be stressed that this
money is dedicated to Information and not to public relations.

Title B3-3 includes the lines B3-300 General information work concerning the Community (€ 13,8 millions
and € 12,9 millions in reserve), B3-301 Information Outlets (€ 13 millions), B3-302 Information
programmes for third countries (€ 5 millions), B3-303 Communication work (€ 11,9 millions and
€ 3,6 millions in reserve), B3-304 European Integration in universities (€ 4 millions), B3-306 Information
programme for European citizens ‘Prince’ (€ 37,6 millions), B3-309 Special Annual events (€ 1,25 millions).

Title B3-3 (€ 86,6 millions) represents 1,39 % of the Internal policies (€ 6 232,2 millions).

The Commission naturally wishes to ensure that this work is executed in a professional way with a view to
reaching the maximum number of people and securing value for money. Some of the work is undertaken
by people who are expert in communication and this may include journalists who have the necessary
specialist skills.

(2002/C 134 E/011)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2068/01

by Stefano Zappalà (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Non-Community vessels in Italian waters

(13 July 2001)

The owners of vessels who are non-resident in the European Union can stay in Italian waters for no more
than six months, after which they have to leave territorial waters, otherwise they can be charged with
illegal trafficking (unless they register the vessels in Italy).

This temporary importation is punitive for those who want to spend the whole winter in Italy, since they
include not only wealthy people, but also those who love the sea and travel to and fro between their
country of origin and the port where they have left their boat.

The EC has for some time been considering the proposal to extend authorisation for up to two years
provided that vessels leave territorial waters for at least a day.

Some Community countries outside the Mediterranean areas already apply this new rule in practice.

Can the Commission say if the above is true and what urgent measures it intends to take?

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(4 September 2001)

Non-Community vessels intended for re-export may be used in the customs territory of the Community
with relief from import duties and Value Added Tax (VAT) if the goods are placed under the temporary
importation procedure.

This customs procedure must be discharged within a given period. The re-exportation of the goods from
the customs territory of the Community is the usual means of discharging a temporary importation
procedure. The period for discharge for privately used means of sea and inland waterway transport is
18 months (Article 562 (e) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 of 2 July 1993 as amended by
Commission Regulation (EC) No 993/2001 of 4 May 2001, amending Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93
laying down provisions for the implementation of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 establishing the
Community Customs Code (1)).