CELEX: 51998PC0231
Language: en
Date: 1998-04-15
Title: Amended proposal for a European Parliament and Council Decision adopting a programme of Community action 1999- 2003 on pollution-related diseases in the context of the framework for action in the field of public health

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                    Brussels, 15.04.1998
                                                    COM(1998) 231 final
                                                    97/0153 (COD)
                              Amended proposal for a
            EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION
                                     adopting a
programme of Community action 1999-2003 on pollution-related diseases in the context
               of the framework for action in the field of public health
            (presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a (2)
                                of the EC-Treaty)
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                              EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
   (1)   The initial proposal for a European Parliament and Council decision adopting a
         programme of Community action on pollution-related diseases was adopted by the
         Commission on 4 June 19971.
  (2)    The Economic and Social Committee2 and the Committee of the Regions3
        delivered favourable opinions on this initial Commission proposal.
  (3)    In the light of the European Parliament's opinion adopted on 11 March 1998, an
        amended proposal for a decision is now submitted by the Commission in
        accordance with Article 189a (2) of the Treaty.            The text incorporates
        amendments that clarify and broaden the actions covered by the programme.
  (4)   The European Parliament has adopted 12 amendments of which 4 are acceptable
        by the Commission ( n° 7 in toto, n° 3, 9, 10 partially).
  (5)   The amendments which are not acceptable by the Commission can be grouped as
        follows:
        (a)      amendments that refer to the Amsterdam Treaty, which is not yet ratified
                 (n° 1-2);
       (b)       amendments that broaden the scope of the proposed actions to an
                unacceptable degree (n° 4, 11, 12 and 13);
       (c)      the amendment on the budget (n° 5). The financial perspectives, as they
                currently stand, do not allow for the sum proposed by the European
                Parliament Due to the uncertainty over the future financial perspectives,
                the Commission cannot accept a financial framework that exceeds for each
                year of the programme the annual provision set out in its initial proposal
                for the first year of action, 1999;
       (d)      and an amendment which is not consistent with the corresponding wording
                used in previous decisions on public health programmes (n° 6).
1
       OJ N°C2I4 16.7 97, p. 7-10
2
       Opinion delivered on 29 October 1997, OJ N° C 19 21.1.98, p. 6-8
3
       Opinion delivered on 20 November 1997, OJ N° C 64 27.2.98, p. 91-95
                                                    2
 ---pagebreak---                                        Proposal for a
               EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DECISION
     adopting a programme of Community action 1999-2003 on pollution-related
    diseases in the context of the framework for action in the field of public health.
           INITIAL PROPOSAL                           AMENDED PROPOSAL
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN
UNION
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the
European Community, and in particular
Article 129 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the
Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the
Economic and Social Committee,
Having regard to the Opinion of the
Committee of the Regions,
Acting in accordance with the procedure
referred to in Article 189b of the Treaty,
 1. Whereas pollution-related diseases are
growing in importance throughout the
European Community and raising public
concern;
2. Whereas, in accordance with point (o) of
Article 3 of the Treaty, Community action
shall include a contribution to the
attainment of a high level of health
protection;
3. Whereas Article 129 expressly provides
for Community competence in this field, by
encouraging cooperation between the
Member States and, if necessary, lending
support to their action; promoting
coordination of their policies and
programmes, and fostering cooperation
with third countries and international
organisations competent in the sphere of
public health; whereas Community action
should be directed towards the prevention
of diseases, and the promotion of health
education and information;
4. Whereas Article 130r of the Treaty states
that Community policy on the environment
 ---pagebreak---    shall contribute to protecting public health;
   5. Whereas the prevention of pollution-
  related diseases has to include not only
  measures aimed at the sources and
  concentrations of pollutants and on limiting
  exposure, but also public health actions
  directed at the public to enable individuals
  to reduce exposure and mitigate adverse
  effects on health and whereas data on
  health effects and on exposure should be
  collected in parallel with data on
  concentrations of air pollutants;
  6. Whereas in its Resolution of 11
  November 199P           the Council and the
  Ministers for Health of the Member States,
  meeting within the Council, invited the
  Commission, in close cooperation with the
  competent authorities of the Member
  States, to take stock of the knowledge and
  experience available in the Member States,
  the      Community        and      international
  organizations regarding the relationship
  between health and the environment;
  7. Whereas pollution-related diseases have
 been identified as a priority area for
 Community action within the framework
 for action in the field of public health2;
 8. Whereas in its Resolution (A4-0311/95)
 on the Medium-Term Social Action
 Programme 1995-19973 the Parliament
 asked the Commission to present, under the
 proper procedures, the action programme
on pollution-related diseases foreseen in the
Commission's framework communication
on public health;
9. Whereas, in accordance with the
principle of subsidiarity, action on matters
not under the exclusive competence of the
Community, such as action on pollution-
related diseases, must be undertaken by the
Community only if and in so far as, by
reason of its scale or effects, it may be
better achieved at Community level;
 10. Whereas the proposed measures in the
present programme will yield a Community-
added value by bringing together activities
1
      OJN°C304 23.11.91. p. 5
2
      COM (9.1) 559 Final
3
      OJ N° C 032 05.02.96. p. 15-24
 ---pagebreak--- already undertaken in relative isolation at
national level and by complementing one
another with significant results for the
Community as a whole, by contributing to
the strengthening of solidarity and cohesion
in the Community and by leading, where the
need is recognised, to the establishment of
best practice norms and standards.
 11. Whereas cooperation with the
international organisations competent in the
field of public health and with third
countries should be fostered;
 12. Whereas, by providing support for
acquiring      better     knowledge      and
understanding of, and wider dissemination
of information about, pollution-related
diseases, their association with pollutants
and their prevention, ensuring improved
comparability of information on these
subjects and by developing actions
complementary to existing Community
programmes and actions, while avoiding
unnecessary duplication, the programme
will contribute to the achievement of the
Community objectives set out in Article
 129;
 13. Whereas a "modus vivendi" between
the European Parliament, the Council and
the      Commission       concerning     the
implementing measures for acts adopted in
accordance with the procedure laid down in
Article 189b of the Treaty was concluded
on 20 December 1994;
14. Whereas this decision lays down, a
financial   framework      constituting the
principal point of reference, within the
meaning of point 1 of the Declaration of the
European Parliament, the Council and the
Commission of 6 March 1995, for the
budgetary authority during the annual
budgetary procedure;
 15. Whereas the Community's financial
perspective is valid up until 1999 and will
have to be revised for the period beyond
that date;
 16. Whereas the financial framework for the
last four years of the programme (2000-
2003) shall be determined after the
establishment of the future financial
perspectives;
 17. Whereas, in order to increase the value
and impact of the programme, a continuous
assessment of the actions undertaken
 ---pagebreak---  should be carried out, with particular regard
 to their effectiveness and the achievement
 of the objectives set and, with a view where
 appropriate, to making the necessary
 adjustments;
  18. Whereas this programme should be of
 five-year duration in order to allow
 sufficient    time for        actions to be
 implemented to achieve the objectives set;
 HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS
                     Article I
      Establishment of the programme
 1. A programme of Community action
against diseases which are caused,
 provoked or aggravated by environmental
pollution, hereinafter referred to as "this
programme", is hereby adopted for the
period 1 January 1999 to 31 December
2003 in the context of the framework for
action in the field of public health.
2. The aim of this programme is to
contribute towards ensuring a high level of
health protection against pollution-related
diseases by improving knowledge and
understanding about health risks associated
with them and how to address them, in
particular with regard to asthma and other
respiratory diseases, and to allergies.
3. The actions to be implemented under this
programme and their specific objectives are
set out in the Annex under the headings:
          1.    Actions on improvement of          1.   Actions on improvement of
         information on pollution-related         information    on    pollution-related
         diseases
                                                  diseases and their definition
         2.      Risk perception and risk
         management        with     respect    to
         pollution-related diseases
         3.       Respiratory     diseases    and
         allergies
                     Article 2
                liiiplmimlntioii
 I.     The     Commission        shall    ensure
implementation, in close cooperation with
the Member States, of the actions set out in
the Annex.
 ---pagebreak--- 2. The Commission shall cooperate with
institutions and organisations active in the
field of pollution-related diseases.
                    Article 3
                     Budget
 1. The financial framework for the
implementation of the programme for the
year 1999 shall be ECU 1.3 Million, in
keeping with current financial perspectives.
The financial framework for the final four
years of the programme (2000-2003) shall
be determined in detail after the
establishment of the future financial
perspectives.
2. The annual appropriations shall be
established by the Budgetary Authority in
accordance with the financial perspectives.
                   Article 4
     Consistency and complementarity
The Commission shall ensure that there is
consistency and complementarity between
the Community actions to be implemented
under this programme and those
implemented        under     other   relevant
Community programmes and actions.
                   Article 5
                  Committee
 1. In implementing this action plan, the
Commission shall be assisted by an advisory
committee, hereinafter referred to as "the
Committee", consisting of representatives
of the Member States and chaired by the
Commission representative
2. The representative of the Commission
shall submit to the Committee a draft of the
measures to be taken concerning, in
particular:
(a)      the criteria, and procedures for
         selecting and financing projects
         under this programme;
(b)      the evaluation procedure.
 ---pagebreak---  The Committee shall deliver its opinion on
 the draft, within a time limit which the
 chairperson may lay down according to the
 urgency of the matter, if necessary by
taking a vote.
 The opinion shall be recorded in the
 minutes; in addition, each Member State
 shall have the right to ask to have its
position recorded in the minutes.
The Commission shall take the utmost
 account of the opinion delivered by the
Committee. It shall inform the Committee
 on the manner in which its opinion has been
taken into account.
3. The representative of the Commission
shall keep the Committee regularly
informed about Commission proposals or
Community         initiatives     and      the
implementation of programmes in other
policy areas which are relevant to the
achievement of the objectives of this
programme.
                   Article 6
         International cooperation
 1. In the course of implementing this
programme,       cooperation     with third
countries      and      with     international
organisations competent in the field of
public health shall be fostered.
2. This programme shall be open to
participation by the associated countries of
Central Europe (CEC), in accordance with
the conditions laid down in the Association
Agreements or Additional Protocols
related thereto concerning participation in
Community programmes. This programme
shall be open to participation by Cyprus and
Malta on the basis of additional
appropriations in accordance with the same
rules as those applied to the EFTA
countries, in accordance with procedures to
be agreed with those countries.
                   Article 7
        Monitoring and evaluation
 1. In the implementation of this Decision
the Commission shall take the necessary
measures to ensure the monitoring and
 ---pagebreak--- continuous evaluation of the programme,
taking account of the general and specific
objectives referred to in Article 1 and in the
Annex.
2. In the third year of operation of this
programme, the Commission shall present
to the European Parliament and the Council
an evaluation report.
3. The Commission shall submit to the
European Parliament and the Council a final
report on completion of this programme.
4. The Commission shall incorporate into
these two        reports   information      on
Community financing in the various fields
of action and on complementarity with the
other actions referred to in Article 4, as
well as the results of the evaluations. The
reports shall also be submitted to the
Economic and Social Committee and the
Committee of the Regions.
 ---pagebreak---                    ANNEX
    SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND
                  ACTIONS
I.     ACTIONS ON IMPROVEMENT                 1-   ACTIONS ON IMPROVEMENT
OF INFORMATION ON POLLUTION-                  OF INFORMATION ON POLLUTION-
RELATED DISEASES                              RELATED DISEASES AND THEIR
                                              DEFINITION
Objective:      to contribute towards a
      better understanding of the role of
      pollutants in the causation and
      aggravation of diseases in the
      European Community and of the
      basis and effectiveness of preventive
      actions.
       Establishing priorities for        the      Establishing priorities for       the
       identification of those diseases in         identification of those diseases in
      which       specific     pollutants are      which      specific    pollutants are
      thought to play a role; comparing            thought to play a role; comparing
      their prevalence and/or incidence            their prevalence and/or incidence
      and their relation to data on                and their relation to data on
       environmental        factors    in the      environmental       factors    in the
       different parts of the European             different parts of the European
       Community; examining the data               Community; examining the data
       quality and identifying where data          quality and identifying where data
       are lacking; analysing and reviewing        are lacking; analysing and reviewing
       data currently available on the             data currently available on the
      toxicology of these pollutants, and          toxicology of these pollutants, and
       identifying gaps in knowledge;              identifying gaps in knowledge^
       comparing these data, including             particularly wjth_ regard to 1 o ng-
       methods of collections, definitions         term effects and possible synergies
       and criteria used, as well as the way       between pollutants; comparing these
       in which the information is used in         data,     including      methods   of
       analyses, in determining the actions        collection, definitions and criteria
       taken and in informing the public.          used, as well as the way in which
                                                   the information is used in analyses,
                                                   in determining the actions taken and
                                                   in informing the public.
       Contributing       to     improve  the
       comparability of data used in
       preventive actions by the support of
        exchanges      of     information  on
        pollution-related diseases and their
        prevention, including cost-benefit
        analysis of the effectiveness of
        actions.
                                                10
 ---pagebreak--- II.      RISK PERCEPTION AND RISK
         MANAGEMENT                     WITH
         RESPECT TO POLLUTION-
         RELATED DISEASES
Objective:      to increase the level of
                knowledge       and     under-
                standing about pollution-
                related health risks and their
                perception, assessment and
                management.
3.      Supporting actions aimed at               Supporting actions aimed at
achieving better public understanding of          achieving better public under-
risks, their assessment and management;           standing of risks, their assessment
promoting work on the public perceptions          and management; promoting actions
of pollution-related risks to health              on the public perception of
throughout the Community.                         pollution-related risks to health, and
                                                  on the way that they can be
                                                  influenced by behaviour and
                                                  lifestyle.
        Promoting actions and exchanges of        Promoting actions and exchanges of
        information on the methods of             information on the methods of
        increasing the level of knowledge of      increasing the level of knowledge of
        the general public and opinion-           the general public and specific
        formers about the assessment of           groups about the impact of different
        pollution-related risks to health         policies on pollution and health, and
                                                  the assessment of pollution-related
                                                  risks to health.
III.    RESPIRATORY               DISEASES
        AND ALLERGIES
Objective:      to support activities aimed at
                preventing and reducing the
                numbers of these diseases.
        Contributing to the provision of
        information to the general public
        and to specific groups, on these
        diseases and the agents that play a
        role in them; supporting the
        development of ways to reinforce
        and link information campaigns;
                                               11
 ---pagebreak---         contributing to the efforts of self-
        help or support groups active in the
        field of respiratory diseases and
        allergies.
6.      Contributing to the comparison of
various education and training initiatives
used to combat these diseases, with a view
to promoting best practice; reviewing the
effectiveness of the preventive measures
undertaken, including cost/benefit analyses.
                                             12
 ---pagebreak---                                                                    ISSN 0254-1475
                                                            COM(98) 231 final
                                               DOCUMENTS
EN                                                            05  15   14 01
                                    Catalogue number : CB-CO-98-244-EN-C
                                                             ISBN 92-78-32997-5
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
L-2985 Luxembourg
                                              /3