WRITTEN QUESTION E-3253/02 by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Rising number of drug-related deaths in Greece.
Date: 2002-11-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, Greece, drug addiction, health statistics, mortality

8.5.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 110 E/193

(2003/C 110 E/213)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3253/02

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 November 2002)

Subject: Rising number of drug-related deaths in Greece

In 2001, 321 young people died in Greece as a result of using narcotic substances. Does the Commission
have comparative data showing the situation in the other Member States and the development of the
problem?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(5 December 2002)

In all 7 000 to 8 000 acute drug-related deaths are reported each year in the Union, and the real number
of cases is probably higher. Opiates are present in most overdose deaths, although presence of additional
substances is frequent. There is a relatively stable trend at Union level, although with divergent national
trends. However, it is worrying that some Member States report recent new increases after a period of
stabilisation or decrease. Mortality of opiate users, in particular injectors, is up to 20 times higher than the
general population of the same age, due to overdoses, infectious diseases, accidents, suicides, etc. A copy of
the last table presenting statistics, country per country, on drug related deaths in Member States is sent
direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat. This table from the European Monitoring
Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) shows data until 2000 only since there is a big delay
between the collection of national data and their analysis. These data from different countries cannot be
directly comparable (cfr. see the notes under the table). Drug related deaths are one of the five key
indicators of the EMCDDA and a lot of effort has been put to make the figures comparable but work still
needs to be done on this both by the EMCDDA and by the Member States.

(2003/C 110 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3259/02

by Generoso Andria (PPE-DE)
and Stefano Zappalà (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(19 November 2002)

Subject: Circulation of damaged products between Member States

How does the Commission view the fact that the authorities in some Member States have issued health
and hygiene certificates for products that were probably damaged and which could be the subject of fraud
against the purchasing countries and, still more seriously, might jeopardise the health of the general
public?

In particular, what action will the Commission take with regard to the confiscation by the Italian Customs
Police of dozens of tonnes of damaged tomato concentrate originating from Greece and destined for
companies in the province of Salerno?

Is it true that the product in question was accompanied by health and hygiene certificates, issued by the
authorities at the place of origin before shipment to Italy, that did not tally with its actual quality?

Will an enquiry be conducted into the trade in such products and its management by organisations not
authorised to do so and even by organisations with no credentials whatsoever?