WRITTEN QUESTION E-3901/03 by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission. President Prodi's involvement in Italian politics.
Date: 2003-12-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Italy, President of the Commission, election campaign, politics, regulations for civil servants

C 78 E/334

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

On 17 April 2002, the SCF delivered its opinion that BT 11 sweet maize, is as safe for human food use as
its conventional counterparts. This opinion focused, as requested by the Commission, on the issues raised
in the comments made by Member States’ authorities, namely: the scope of the request, molecular
characterisation, compositional analysis on BT 11 sweet maize, toxicity studies and labelling.

The data provided by the applicant and the safety assessment of the product carried out followed the
criteria and requirements laid down in Commission Recommendation 618/97/EC (2). The methodology
used for the safety assessment of BT 11 was also in line with the recent guidelines prepared by the
Scientific Steering Committee concerning the assessment of genetically modified organism (GMOs), GM
food and GM feed (3) and with the Codex Principles and Guidelines on Foods Derived from Biotech-
nology (4). The concerns raised in the two above-mentioned AFSSA opinions, which were again reiterated
in another AFSSA opinion of 3 December 2003, do not bring any new scientific elements in addition to
the initial assessment of sweet maize BT 11 carried out by the competent authorities of the Netherlands.
These concerns were duly considered by the SCF in its opinion of 17 April 2002, which confirmed the
findings of the initial assessment carried out by the competent authorities of the Netherlands that BT 11
sweet maize is as safe for human food use as conventional maize.

(1) Regulation (EC) no 258/97 of the Parliament and of the Council of 27 January 1997 concerning novel foods and

novel food ingredients, OJ L 43, 14.2.1997.

(2) Commission Recommendation of 29 July 1997 concerning the scientific aspects and the presentation of
information necessary to support applications for the placing on the market of novel foods and novel food
ingredients and the preparation of initial assessment reports under Regulation EC No 258/97 of the European
Parliament and of the Council, OJ L 253, 16.9.1997.
‘Guidance Document for the Risk Assessment of Genetically Modified Plants and Derived Food and Feed’ Joint
Working Group on Novel
foods and GMOS, 6-7 March 2003. http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/ssc/
out327_en.pdf.

(3)

(4) Codex Alimentarius Commission, 2003. Codex Principles and Guidelines on Foods Derived from Biotechnology.
Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Food and Agriculture Organisation: Romeftp://ftp.fao.org/codex/
standard/en/CodexTextsBiotechFoods.pdf.

(2004/C 78 E/0352)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3901/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(17 December 2003)

Subject: President Prodi’s involvement in Italian politics

On 12 November 2003 the President of the Commission, Romano Prodi, published a long letter under the
title ‘Europe: the dream; the options’, which he sent to the parties in the Italian centre-left coalition. The
the
touching upon issues such as justice, peace,
letter contains a fully-fledged political manifesto,
environment, economic growth, education,
the welfare state and immigration and putting forward
proposals to be taken up by reformist parties with a view to offering solutions at European level.

The ‘letter’ is thus, in all senses of the term, a manifesto for the forthcoming European elections, as can be
seen from statements such as ‘we can put forward a strong political programme’ (paragraph 4 of the
document) or ‘looking to Italy and the forthcoming spring elections to the European Parliament, I have
suggest to all reformists that they join together on a single list’ (paragraph 4), or again ‘however, the
underlying ideas remain those which first gave birth to the Ulivo’ (paragraph 5). The arguments used in
connection with all the issues covered are based on Mr Prodi’s experience as President of the Commission,
his intention being, it would appear, to make use of the authority conferred on him by his position to
support the electoral campaign of the coalition to which he belongs in Italy. The letter gave rise to serious
concern among Members of the European Parliament, including those belonging to the PSE Group, of
which the Italian parties Mr Prodi was addressing are members.

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/335

Given the above, would the Commission:

1. not agree that its President should remain neutral, should abstain from taking an active part in
national political activities, should not express any preference and should stay as far away as possible
from internal issues?

2.

3.

4.

take the view that it forms part of the President’s remit to take part in the political debate in a
Member State on major EU issues, or that in this instance Romano Prodi has misused the position he
holds within the EU institutions?

‘The
state whether Mr Prodi’s behaviour is in keeping with Article 213 of the Treaty, which reads:
Members of
the Community, be completely
independent in the performance of their duties. In the performance of these duties, they shall neither
seek nor take instructions from any government or from any other body’?

the Commission shall,

in the general

interest of

consider, given that the President of the Commission is elected by the European Parliament as a
whole, irrespective of its Members’ political affiliations, that he is entitled to take part in an electoral
campaign as the leading candidate of a political movement, or, conversely, that he should resign
before doing so?

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(30 January 2004)

The Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answer to written P-3492/03 by Mr Ribeiro e
Castro (1)

(1) See page 292.

(2004/C 78 E/0353)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3911/03

by María Valenciano Martínez-Orozco (PSE) to the Commission

(11 December 2003)

Subject: Discrimination against minors with regard to access to sporting federations in Spain

Article 2 of the Convention on the rights of the child lays down that children must be protected against all
forms of discrimination in terms of their parents’ or families’
legal status and activities. Article 31
recognises the right of children to take part in cultural and recreational life on equal terms.

Article 24 of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights establishes the right of minors to protection and to
the care necessary for their wellbeing.

Furthermore, the protection of the rights of children is enshrined as one of the objectives of the European
Union in Article 3(4) of Title I of our future European Constitution.

In Spain, with a steadily rising immigrant population with minors of school age, for whom sport can
provide an excellent means of integration into Spanish society, there are serious cases of discrimination
against children with regard to their access to sporting leagues, in terms of administrative red tape or the
refusal of the Sports Federations to allow them to join, because the situation of their families is irregular or
is in the process of being regularised.

is the Commission’s view of this serious infringement of the fundamental rights of children

What
discriminated against in terms of access to Spain’s sporting federations?