WRITTEN QUESTION P-3290/03 by Claude Moraes (PSE) to the Commission. Work-related illnesses.
Date: 2003-11-03
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU employment policy, health policy, occupational disease, occupational health

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/273

At this meeting the phasing out of the use of the blowing agent azodicarbonamide as quickly as
technically and legally possible was agreed. To this effect, the Commission will present a draft amendment
of Directive 2002/72/EC (1) (the Plastics Directive) to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and
Animal Health by the end of 2003.

At the request of the Commission, the Member States will continue to monitor the presence of SEM in
packaged foods,
in particular baby foods, and will report the results to the Commission for onward
transmission to EFSA. On the basis of these results, a re-evaluation will be carried out if needed.

Furthermore, the Commission has asked EFSA to assess, with high priority, the risk of SEM levels currently
reported in various food products and to complete the assessment of the risks posed by semicarbazide
from various origins and in all types of food.

(1) Commission Directive 2002/72/EC of 6 August 2002 relating to plastic materials and articles intended to come into

contact with foodstuffs, OJ L 220, 15.8.2002. Corrigendum, OJ L 39, 13.2.2003.

(2004/C 65 E/287)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3202/03

by Alexandros Alavanos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(30 October 2003)

Subject: Ban on the use of paraquat

At a recent meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, a Commission
proposal was adopted regarding the use of paraquat as a pesticide. This substance is known to be
exceedingly dangerous and can cause irreversible damage to human health. Given its highly toxic nature,
coupled with the absence of any antidote, it may prove fatal and it is particularly harmful to animals and
birds. In certain Member States the use of paraquat has been prohibited and many non-governmental
organisations have called for a ban on its use both in the EU Member States and in the developing
countries.

Why has the Commission recommended the continued use of such a highly toxic substance? Is it aware
that by authorising the widespread use of paraquat, it will encourage its use in countries where it is already
banned and in developing countries? Will
it reconsider the matter, given the availability of safer
alternatives?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(18 November 2003)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written P-3093/03 by Mr Ettl (1).

(1) See page 266.

(2004/C 65 E/288)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3290/03

by Claude Moraes (PSE) to the Commission

(3 November 2003)

Subject: Work-related illnesses

Could the Commission please give the reasons for its request to Member States to widen their lists of
official work-related illnesses in its 19 September approval of a draft Recommendation on professional
health risks?

C 65 E/274

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

Answer given by Mrs Diamantopoulou on behalf of the Commission

(20 November 2003)

The Commission adopted the Recommendation concerning the European schedule of occupational
diseases (1) on 19 September 2003. This Recommendation updates and replaces an existing Recom-
mendation of 22 May 1990 (2) on the same subject, because of the need to take account of data arising
from scientific and technical progress in this field, to have an up-to-date instrument in the run-up to the
European Union’s forthcoming enlargement, and to do justice to the special emphasis which the ‘new
Community strategy on health and safety at work 2002-2006’ (3) places on enhanced prevention of
occupational diseases.

The new Recommendation calls on Member States to ‘introduce as soon as possible into their national
laws, regulations or administrative provisions concerning scientifically recognised occupational diseases
liable for compensation and subject to preventive measures, the European schedule in Annex I’.

In addition to the agents and diseases linked directly to occupation and already included in the previous
Recommendation, Annex I to this Recommendation contains a further 16 diseases on whose occupational
origin there is a broad scientific consensus.

During the time since the 1990 Recommendation was issued, scientific and technical progress has led to a
the causal relationships
greater understanding of how certain occupational diseases emerge and of
involved.

The Commission would like to draw the Honourable Member’s attention to the fact that the Member
States were closely involved in the preparatory work for the adoption of the Recommendation by the
Commission, particularly in relation to Annex I, the European schedule of occupational diseases.

In addition, the experience acquired since 1990 by monitoring the above Recommendation in the Member
States has highlighted various aspects which could be improved in order to attain more fully the
Recommendation’s objectives, particularly in relation to prevention and to the collection and comparability
of data in this field. These aspects too have been included in the new Recommendation.

The Commission feels that this new Recommendation should be the preferred instrument for effective
prevention of occupational diseases in the European Union.

(1) OJ L 238, 25.9.2003.
(2) OJ L 160, 26.6.1990.
(3) COM(2002) 118 final.

(2004/C 65 E/289)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3504/03

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(24 November 2003)

Subject: Information on the level of EU funding granted to Rhineland-Palatinate between January 1997 and

December 2002

For what measures was EU funding paid to Rhineland-Palatinate between 1997 and 2002, and what

1.
were the sums involved from the following programmes and funds:

(a)

the European Social Fund;

(b)

the Fifth Framework Programme for Research;

(c)

the European Regional Development Fund;