WRITTEN QUESTION E-3007/01 by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Council. Prevention of bacteriological terrorism: checks on staff and security in the buildings and public facilities of the European Union.
Date: 2001-11-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU institution, biological weapon, public safety, terrorism

C 147 E/74

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

20.6.2002

Given that the application of this principle affects thousands of European citizens every day, could the
Council explain why it took more than four months to supply such an evasive answer?

(1) OJ C 364 E, 20.12.2001, p. 125.

Reply

(1 March 2002)

The Council has explained to the European Parliament many times, particularly in replies to written
questions, the Council’s procedures for checking replies, the decision-making procedure which has to be
followed, and the need to provide precise, reliable, high-quality information on the positions which the
Council has taken on the subjects raised in parliamentary questions inevitably require a certain amount of
time, although the Council continues to do its utmost to reply as quickly as possible.

(2002/C 147 E/076)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3007/01

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Council

(5 November 2001)

Subject: Prevention of bacteriological terrorism: checks on staff and security in the buildings and public

facilities of the European Union

The dreadful and now very real
Islamic
fundamentalists operating in Europe means it is absolutely essential and urgent to adopt strict control and
prevention measures.

terrorist attacks by networks of

threat of bacteriological

National and international institutions, not least the European Parliament, which has apparently been a
target of Islamic terrorists for some time, and public buildings such as airports, railway stations, cities,
towns, hospitals, schools, universities and so on must be seen as particularly at risk of chemical or
bacteriological terrorist attack.

These facilities, often employ staff recruited through employment agencies of nationalities and/or religions
in which Islamic terrorism recruits or infiltrates its
that have links with the cultural environment
supporters, as has been demonstrated by the investigations into the latest acts of terrorism.

In the light of the above considerations, can the Council say what urgent control and prevention measures
it intends to require of the governments of the European Union 6 more specifically to prevent terrorists
who have infiltrated such structures and are employed on the staff of
the internal services from
perpetrating or inciting terrorist acts, in particular bacteriological attacks?

Reply

(18 March 2002)

The Council would remind the Honourable Member that it is for each Institution to arrange for a security
system providing acceptable and dependable conditions of occupation for persons required to frequent, on
a regular or occasional basis, the premises which that Institution occupies.

In addition, it would emphasise that following the dramatic events of 11 September, an Extraordinary
European Council met on 21 September. In its conclusions, it adopted a plan of action against terrorism
and called for ‘all existing international conventions on the fight against terrorism (UN, OECD, etc.) to be
implemented as quickly as possible. The European Union supported the Indian proposal for framing within
the United Nations a general convention against international terrorism’.

20.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 147 E/75

Lastly, in two instances in the same conclusions, the European Council stressed that it ‘categorically rejects
any equation of groups of fanatical terrorists with the Arab and Muslim world.’ (See sections 1 and 3 of
the said conclusions).

(2002/C 147 E/077)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3013/01

by Niels Busk (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 October 2001)

Subject: Tolerance criteria for Listeria

It is not possible to produce smoked salmon with zero tolerance for Listeria, as Listeria is present in the
raw fish.

Does the Commission consider the fact that Italy has zero tolerance for Listeria, whilst other Member
States have a tolerance of about 100, to be consistent with Community law?

Reply given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(14 December 2001)

In reply to the question from the Honourable Member, the Commission can provide the following
particulars:

6 Microbiological criteria for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) have not yet been laid down for smoked
salmon in application of Council Directive 91/493/EEC of 22 July 1991 laying down the health
conditions for the production and the placing on the market of fishery products (1).

6 In 1999, the Commission requested the Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to
Public Health to prepare an opinion on Lm (2). The opinion delivered by this Committee on
23 September 1999 contains conclusions and recommendations which are relevant in this context.
Notably,
‘[a]n objective must be to keep the concentration of L. monocytogenes in food below
100 cfu/g and to reduce the fraction of foods with a concentration above 100 L. monocytogenes per
gram significantly. This objective should be expressed as a Food Safety Objective.’

6 The Committee’s opinion on the public health aspects of Lm is thus to be distinguished from that of
undifferentiated ‘zero tolerance’ and suggests on the contrary that standards should be differentiated.
On the basis of the Committee’s scientific opinion, the Commission has prepared a draft decision in
the context of various Council directives relating to food hygiene. This decision should be presented to
the Member States within a few months.

6 In the absence of Community-level harmonisation in the area in question and within the limits of the
EC Treaty, the Member States are entitled, on prudential grounds, to lay down microbiological
standards with a view to protecting human health and the health of risk groups. These standards must
be proportionate, non-discriminatory and scientifically well-founded.

(1) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991, last amended by Council Directive 97/79/EC of 18 December 1997 amending Directives 71/
118/EEC, 72/462/EEC, 85/73/EEC, 91/67/EEC, 91/492/EEC, 91/493/EEC, 92/45/EEC and 92/118/EEC as regards
the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries (OJ L 24,
30.1.1998).

(2) See the opinion of

the Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health on Listeria

monocytogenes of 23 September 1999: http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scv/out25_en.html.