WRITTEN QUESTION E-2518/03 by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission. Transatlantic cooperation on biodiversity conservation.
Date: 2003-07-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: NAFTA countries, biodiversity, child, environmental cooperation, environmental policy, health policy, international cooperation

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70 E/109

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(26 September 2003)

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), states what treatments for fishery products are authorised
and the procedures to authorise new treatments.

The use of substances binding excess water in fishery products, such as hydrolysed proteins,
authorised under this Directive.

is not

It is up to the Member States, responsible for carrying out veterinary checks on importation, to check that
hydrolysed proteins are not present in fishery products imported from third countries and to take the
requisite measures (such as ordering the return of the consignment to its country of origin).

(1) OJ L 268, 24.9.1991.

(2004/C 70 E/110)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2518/03

by Dorette Corbey (PSE) to the Commission

(29 July 2003)

Subject: Transatlantic cooperation on biodiversity conservation

On 25 June 2003 Canada, Mexico and the United States adopted a long-term strategy on North American
cooperation in the conservation of biodiversity. In the Communication ‘Biodiversity Action Plan for the
Conservation of Natural Resources’ (1), the Commission indicates that action needs to be taken to promote
better coordination between different initiatives in the international forums in the field of climate change,
ozone layer depletion and desertification to avoid duplication of efforts,
in particular with respect to
reporting procedures and to identify interactions between the CBD and activities under other existing
international agreements in order to optimise the opportunities for synergy.

Does the Commission agree with me that the decision by the NAFTA countries provides an excellent

1.
opportunity to strengthen transatlantic cooperation on biodiversity conservation?

2.

Can the Commission indicate if and how it intends to intensify transatlantic cooperation in this area?

Does the Commission intend to develop biodiversity indicators in cooperation with the NAFTA

3.
countries?

The NAFTA countries also adopted a resolution on the development of indicators of Children’s Health and
the Environment in North America.

4.

How does this resolution overlap with the European Environment and Health Strategy?

Does the Commission see room for transatlantic cooperation in developing indicators of children’s

5.
health and environment?

(1) COM(2001) 162 final.

C 70 E/110

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

20.3.2004

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(17 September 2003)

The Commission welcomes the recent adoption of the long-term strategy on North American
1. and 2.
cooperation in the conservation of biodiversity. It considers that the Convention on Biological Diversity
(CBD)
is the main forum for international cooperation on the conservation and sustainable use of
biological diversity. The CBD has currently 187 Parties, including the Community, all the Member States
and Acceding Countries, Mexico and Canada. The United States has not yet ratified the CBD.

The Commission has always supported regional level implementation of the CBD and has a long standing
experience in this respect, both at the Union level (see inter alia the Union Biodiversity Strategy (1) and
Action Plans (2)) and at Pan-European level
the Council of Europe Pan-European
Biodiversity and Landscape Strategy and the Environment For Europe Conferences.

in the context of

The Commission is in principle willing to share its experience with the North American Commission for
Environment Cooperation in the context of ongoing transatlantic cooperation.

3.
As indicated in the 6th Environment Action Programme, the Commission is actively contributing to
the development of biodiversity indicators. For example, the Commission is working with the European
Environment Agency on the Biodiversity Implementation Indicators (Bio-IMPs) project which aims at
developing and testing biodiversity implementation indicators for the Community in the framework of
requirements of the CBD (3). This project consults internationally through the International Working Group
of Biodiversity and Monitoring Indicators (IWG-BioMIN). The issue is also subject of intensive work under
the CBD involving both European and North American experts (4).

The recently adopted ‘European Environment and Health Strategy’ (5) announces the development of
4.
harmonised environment and health indicators, with no specific focus on children’s environment and
health indicators.

5.
The ‘European Environment and Health Strategy’ is developed for the enlarged Union, fully involving
the Acceding Countries. Given the different situation in America with regard to environment and health,
but also because of the lack of human and financial resources, the Commission is not able for the moment
to actively co-operate with North America on this particular issue, but it intends to be fully informed
about the situation outside Europe.

(1) Communication from the Commission to the Council and to the Parliament on a European Community Biodiversity
Strategy, COM(98) 42 final, Council Conclusions of 21 June 1998, European Parliament non legislative resolution
A4-0347/98.

(2) Communication from the Commission to the Council and the Parliament on Biodiversity Action Plans in the areas
of Conservation of Natural Resources, Agriculture, Fisheries and Development and Economic Cooperation,
COM(2001) 162 final; Council Conclusions of 18th June (Fisheries); 19th June (Agriculture); 29th October
(Environment); 8th November (Development); European Parliament non legislative resolution A5-0063/2002.

(3) See http://biodiversity-chm.eea.eu.int/convention/cbd_ec/F1046676334
(4) See http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/cross-cutting/indicators/
(5) COM(2003) 338 final.

(2004/C 70 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2533/03

by Gabriele Stauner (PPE-DE) to the Council

(29 July 2003)

Subject: Extra income for members of the European Court of Justice

Members of the European Court of Justice have for years been receiving extra income by having part of
their salary transferred not to bank accounts in their place of employment, Luxembourg, but to accounts
in other EU countries, with weightings being applied to the amounts transferred. In the 2003 budgetary