WRITTEN QUESTION E-1389/02 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Examination of aquaculture products.
Date: 2002-05-15
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: animal nutrition, aquaculture, food safety, intellectual property, pesticide residue, research method, research project, research results

C 301 E/138

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

5.12.2002

In some areas there will be a very substantial pre-accession workload (e.g. linguistic services, structural
policies and Common Agricultural Policy). The Commission has, therefore, in the APS 2003, identified a
priority need for 500 temporary staff for 2003. The persons recruited in 2003 may continue their work in
2004 and beyond. However, these 500 staff will not be in addition to the needs assessed for the period
after enlargement.

(1) COM(2002) 218.
(2)

Information Note Common Financial Framework 2004-2006 for the Accession Negotiations, Communication from
the Commission, SEC(2002) 102, 30.1.2002.

(3) The same figure is arrived at following two different approaches. The first one by applying the expected increase in
the ceiling of Heading 5 in 2006 (+ 12 % at 1999 prices) to the number of current posts in the Commission
establishment plan (including OLAF and OPOCE, but excluding Research). The second one based on the share
(31 %) of appropriations for Commission staff remuneration (Chapter A-11, including other budget items more
closely connected with posts but excluding pensions) as a percentage of total appropriations in Part A of the budget
and dividing it by the average cost for an official.

(2002/C 301 E/149)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1385/02

by Elspeth Attwooll (ELDR) to the Commission

Subject: Access to information on fisheries policy

(6 May 2002)

Publication of the first package of legislative reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy is currently delayed
for at least another month. However, copies of the proposals under discussion have been circulating freely
for the some weeks. Many NGOs and industry organisations apparently have access to drafts but MEPs
cannot officially obtain copies even of those parts of the package not still under negotiation. In the
the
interests of a level playing field for information and meaningful consultation with MEPs will
Commission formally review its procedures for providing draft copies to interested parties,
including
MEPs?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(27 May 2002)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its joint answer to written questions P-1319/02
by Catherine Stihler, P-1325/02 by Ian Hudghton and P-1341/02 by Struan Stevenson (1).

(1) See page 123.

(2002/C 301 E/150)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1389/02

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(15 May 2002)

Subject: Examination of aquaculture products

The 2001 National Residue Monitoring Plan stipulated that aquaculture products should be examined for
nitrofane (examination of the AOZ metabolites). The examination method has been developed for the EU
by Dr Kennedy in Belfast (National Examining Laboratory).

However, this method is not being released, denying private laboratories access to it.

1. What view does the Commission take of the fact that an examination method developed using EU
funding has been declared the private property of the developer, Dr Kennedy?

How are suppliers supposed to have their goods checked if there is no readily available examination

2.
method?

5.12.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 301 E/139

3.

Does the Commission realise that differing measuring techniques may give rise to differing findings?

4. What measures does the Commission plan to take in connection with this matter?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(28 June 2002)

The most up to date analytical methods available for the detection of nitrofuran metabolites have been
developed by a group of laboratories involved in the Community research project FoodBRAND (contract
Nr QLK1-1999-00142). This is a 42 months project which started in January 2000 supported (at a level of
68 %) by the Commission, within the Community Quality of Life Programme and Management of Living
Resources, Key Action 1 on Food, Nutrition and Health.

The FoodBRAND project aims at developing screening and confirmatory methods for tissue-bound
residues and disseminating their findings to the Union National Reference Laboratories. The project
includes participants from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Czech
Republic, and Hungary. Dr Kennedy is the project co-ordinator and not the owner (more information at
http://www.afsni.ac.uk/foodbrand).

Due to the difficulties with the analysis of nitrofurans, the Commission has asked the participants in the
FoodBRAND project to provide assistance to the Member States in order to improve the methods they
currently apply. In doing so they will fulfil one of the objectives of the project earlier than initially
foreseen.

It is common practice and also specified in Articles 16-18 of the general conditions of the model contract
for Community supported research (http://www.cordis.lu/fp5/mod-cont.htm)
that results of research,
including analytical methods, are not distributed by the research team before they have been published in a
specialized journal or presented at a scientific conference.

In this particular case, the method has not yet been published, nevertheless, the participants in the project
agreed to assist the official control laboratories of the Member States provided that the method was not
further distributed until its publication. Thereafter, the results of the project will be widely available.

It is correct that suppliers will not have access to this new method until
it is published. However,
nitrofurans are prohibited for use in food producing animals. Therefore suppliers need to ensure that these
substances are not used by appropriate specifications in their contracts with producers.

The official control laboratories have the obligation to control the implementation of the prohibition of
use of nitrofurans with the best available methods to ensure consumer protection. The Commission has
taken all necessary steps to assist them in this task.

Analytical methods used for residue control should provide reliable results. The methods should be
validated based on certain criteria to guarantee that the results obtained by different methods would be
equivalent within certain margins accepted by the legislation.

(2002/C 301 E/151)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1402/02

by Phillip Whitehead (PSE) to the Commission

(15 May 2002)

Subject: Access to television for people with sensory impairments

At present EU audiovisual policy does not address the issue of access to television for people with sensory
impairments. Most EU Member States have very low levels of subtitling and sign language interpretation