WRITTEN QUESTION E-3265/02 by Renzo Imbeni (PSE)and Guido Podestà (PPE-DE) to the Council. Seat of the European Food Safety Authority.
Date: 2002-11-19
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: European Food Safety Authority, food safety, seat of institution

C 155 E/122

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.7.2003

As the problem referred to is situated in a third country, ultimate responsibility for dealing with it lies with
that country. However, the Commission does examine the possibility to use its external assistance to
address priorities identified by the beneficiary countries, within the limitations of available resources. In
this context, the Commission is supporting the ongoing preparation of a Local Environmental Action Plan
for Panèevo through the FRY package of the CARDS assistance programme. This plan will reflect on a
realistic financial framework for implementation of the most urgent environmental protection measures.

Through the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River the Commission is also
working to pursue river basin management in accordance with the principles of the Community Water
Framework Directive (1), for the countries that lie within the Danube catchment area.

(1) Directive 2000/60/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for

Community action in the field of water policy (cid:1) OJ L 327, 22.12.2000.

(2003/C 155 E/134)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3265/02

by Renzo Imbeni (PSE)
and Guido Podestà (PPE-DE) to the Council

(19 November 2002)

Subject: Seat of the European Food Safety Authority

Now that the top-level managers responsible for European food safety policy have been appointed in both
the Commission and the European Food Safety Authority, is the Council ready to take a decision within
the next few months on the definitive seat of the European Food Safety Authority so that it can start
carrying out its tasks under optimum conditions?

How does the Council intend to persuade the Heads of State or Government to comply with the functional
criteria set by the Commission and the European Parliament when taking their decision?

Reply

(3 March 2003)

The European Council agreed at the Laeken Summit that the question of the definitive seat of the
European Food Safety Authority would be resolved in the context of an overall agreement on the seats of
the various newly-created European agencies.

Not wishing, however, to call into question the timetable requiring the Authority to commence operations
as from 2002, which it had adopted at the Nice summit and confirmed at the Göteborg summit, the
European Council also agreed that, pending overall agreement, the Authority could begin operations in
Brussels.

This solution facilitated, in particular, the rapid establishment of the Management Board, an essential body
of the Authority which has been up and running for several months.

(2003/C 155 E/135)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3268/02

by Maurizio Turco (NI) to the Commission

(12 November 2002)

Subject: Media funding and monitoring of the impartiality of information provided by bodies funded by

the Union and public entities in the Member States

The violation of pluralism and the impartiality of
principles and the rule of law.

information is a serious violation of democratic