Activites

• 2001/05/31 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Regulation 2001/999
  • OJ L 147 31.05.2001, p. 0001
• 2001/05/22 Final act signed
• 2001/05/22 End of procedure in Parliament
• 2001/05/03 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T5-0220/2001 summary

    The European Parliament endorsed, without amendment, the report by Mrs Dagmar ROTH-BEHRENDT (PES, D) on the Council's common position on Commission proposals for rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. (Please refer to the previous document).�

• 2001/05/02 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2001/04/10 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A5-0118/2001
• 2001/02/14 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2330
• 2001/02/12 Council Meeting
  • 14780/1/2000 summary

    Whilst sharing the approach and objectives proposed by the Commission and endorsed by the European Parliament, the Council found it necessary in drawing up its common position to make certain changes, to both the substance and the form of the proposal for a Regulation. In making these changes, the Council wished in particular to : - make the wording more precise and more consistent, and thus improve the legal clarity of the text; - introduce provisions aimed at managing intra-Community trade and imports, and if necessary exports, which would comply with the OIE's recommendations, so as to honour the Community's WTO commitments; - update the texts containing the measures decided on under the safeguard clause; - specifiy the scope of certain provisions adopted in the context of the said measures. The main amendments made to the Commission proposal concern : - the inclusion of all the provisions currently in force as safeguard measures (particularly the elimination of specified risk material) and the main recommendations adopted in May 2000 by the OIE, especially the country classification criteria (5 categories) in terms of the incidence of BSE. The Council also provided for transitional measures enabling the application of measures laid down in the new regulation to be modulated. Finally, the Council integrated ino the text all the provisions to be applied with regard to scrapie. With regard to the Council's position on the European Parliament's amendments, it endorsed virtually all of the amendments accepted by the Commission. Furthermore, the Council responded to the demands of public health and consumer policy by making provision for a compulsory test on all bovine animals aged over 30 months and by amending the inspection provisions applicable. On the other hand, the amendments not incorporated into the common position relate to rapid diagnostic testing, a country or region presenting "no" risk is hard to envisage, therefore the Council has retained the reference to the "lowest risk". Also, the an extension of the period required for confirming a case of scrapie from 2 to 6 years was not justified. Pending a review of this period by the OIE, the Council extended the period to 3 years. Lastly, the Council considers that its common position, which includes the amendments set out above, takes extensive account of the European Parliament's opinion at first reading and represents a balanced solution which responds to the expectations of operators and consumers and which aims to allow for more satisfactory implementation by the national authorities, particularly as regards controls. It should be allowed for better management of the BSE crisis in the Union and restore consumer confidence. �

• #2322
• 2000/12/19 Council Meeting
  • 2322 summary

    On 4 December 2000, the Council stated its determination to reach agreement (with a view to a common position) before the end of the year on the draft overall Regulation on TSE which would incorporate all the measures already adopted at Community level to combat BSE. Today, the Council took a favourable political stance on the texts: - laying down rules for the prevention and control of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and - amending Directive 91/68/EEC as regards scrapie. Furthermore, it instructed the Council General Secretariat to finalise the texts, in accordance with the relevant procedure, so that its meeting in January 2001, it could adopt a common position for forwarding to the European Parliament. �

• 2000/12/12 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(2000)0824 summary

    In this amended proposal for a Council Regulation laying down rules for the prevention and control of certain transmissable spongiform encephalopathies, the Commission accepted 40 of the European Parliament's 51 amendments in full, in part or after reformulation. Against this background, the main changes to the original proposal relate to the following: - comitology: the originally proposed use of the manangement procedure for adopting implementing measures has been replaced by the regulatory procedure in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission; - epidemio-surveillance and use of rapid tests for the detection of TSEs: one of the main issues raised by the European Parliament relates to a wider but responsible use of rapid post-mortem tests and this has been acknowledged in the amended proposal. The need to define all ruminant fallen stock (dead-on-farm animas) as BSE suspect animals, has been debated. The amended proposal extends the definition of suspect animals to include only those fallen and emergency slaughtered animals that have tested positive in the monitoring programme is seen as a balanced and justified public health measure. The definition of suspect animals requested by the Council is also clarified. Furthermore, a definition of the rapid diagnostic test has been introduced. However, the text has been slightly reformulated to create the possibility for delegating the evaluation, not the approval, of such tests to an external body if such a need would arise in future. A further important principle when laying down rules for the use of rapid tests, is their statutory approval for each distinct purpose by the Commission through a regulatory procedure. This condition following good legal practice has been introduced in all articles referring to rapid, diagnostic tests, rather than both its definition and the related articles as requested by the European Parliament. Finally, other amendments relate to the monitoring of TSEs providing for use of the rapid tests in the annual monitoring programmes, and of implementing rules reinforcing the protocol for confirming the disease by laboratory tests; - classification of countries according to BSE status: the amended proposal now more clearly recognises the relevance of the BSE criteria and risk factors recommended by the OIE. Moreover, a link has been established with the results of the annual monitoring programme by use of the rapid test and the possibility has been created to require statistically valid large-scale sampling in those circumstances where doubt exists on the BSE status of countries; - specified risk material (SRM): a review under a comitology procedure of the age limits for SRM (i.e the animal tissues being most at risk of harbouring the agent) removal in view of the statisitcal probability of the occurrence of BSE in the slaughter population has been introduced. However, the restraint of an annual review and the proposed deadline for the first review of 01.01.2001 has been changed into 'regular' reviews. The principles of granting derogations from the provisions on SRM removal in high risk areas and for taking account of an effective feed ban, is brought under co-decision; - feed ban: the extension of the feed ban has been brought under the comitology procedure but the text in the Annex has been reformulated to allow for extending the feed ban regardless of BSE status of the country concerned. Another amendment ensures that the feed ingredients banned for feeding are also not stored, dispatched or imported. Finally, it is proposed to derogate gelatine derived from hides and skins from the ban, but to extend the ban to feeding bovine blood products to ruminants; - disease eradication: a requirement has been added providing for an obligation for the Member States to inform the Commission of all TSE suspect cases on a regular basis. Furthermore, the European Parliament's amendments suggesting whole herd slaughter for BSE in cattle have been taken into account on condition that derogation is possible in those cases where the Commission under a Comitology procedure has approved equivalent measures; - conditions for marketing animals: the duration of the 'scrapie-free' period has been extended; - various: these amendments include an exception from the ban on certain slaughter techniques only granted in BSE free countries and finally, live animals for research have been excluded from the scope of the proposal.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Health and Consumers'}],
• #2276
• 2000/06/19 Council Meeting
  • 2276 summary

    Following an exchange of views, the President noted that there was neither a qualified majority in support of the Commission's proposal, nor a simple majority against it, and that the Council would not return to this subject before the two-week deadline had expired. That being so, the Commission would be able to adopt the proposed measures before 30 June 2000.�

• 2000/05/17 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0219/2000 summary

    The European Parliament, in its first reading, adopted the report drafted by Dagmar ROTH-BEHRENDT (PES, Germany) on Transmissible spongiform encephalopatheis (TSE), and made a number of amendments to the Commission's proposal. Some of these amendments ensure that the Parliament remains fully involved in TSE prevention. The other main amendments include: -rapid diagnostic tests for TSEs. Testing methods should include these as far as possible. The test procedures to be used as rapid diagnostic tests within the meaning of the regulation is laid down in amendment to Annex X. -the definition of "animals suspected of being infected" is amended. -the BSE status of a Member State or third country or region will be determined by reference to criteria set out in the Regulation and the outcome of a risk analysis on the basis of all potential factors for the appearance of BSE. The risk analysis must include a conclusive statistical survey on the basis of rapid diagnostic tests. -When a post-slaughter test gives a positive result, all bovine, ovine or caprine material produced in the same batch shall be destroyed. -geographical areas will be defined by analogy with the concept of "health intervention areas" in the existing Animal Disease Notification System (ADNS). -the management procedure is changed to a committee procedure.�

• 2000/05/16 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2000/04/18 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0117/2000
• #X012
• 2000/04/17 Council Meeting
• #X011
• 1999/12/14 Council Meeting
• #X010
• 1999/06/14 Council Meeting
• 1999/01/28 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 1999/01/07 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(1998)0623 summary

    PURPOSE: to lay down rules regarding the effective surveillance of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) based on Article 100A. CONTENT: The main objective of the proposal is to create the legal base for the control and prevention of all animal TSEs and for all products, including those not covered by Annex II of the Treaty. the articles of the proposal provide the necessary instruments to reach this goal and in the Annexes the details are worked out as far as possible according to current knowledge. Implementing rules are foreseen where future action can be expected. The provisions are based on the OIE recommendations on BSE and the various scientific opinions available in order to ensure a very high level of protection. In principle, the prevention and control of all animal TSEs with respect to food and feed is covered. Industrial, cosmetic and medicinal products, medical devices and products destined for research, exhibitions and teaching are not included, because there is either no inherent risk for human or animal health or the provisions are covered by sectoral legislation. A general provision to ensure that those products, which are not covered by the Regulation, cannot enter the food and feed chains provides the necessary protection during the production process. An important exception to the above is the exclusion of the animal waste legislation despite the fact that the predominant motivation for this legislation is protection against TSEs. For technical reasons, it was considered beneficial to keep the animal waste legislation separate as a coherent independent set of legislation. The elements of this legislation, such as waste processing standards, validation of processes, approval of establishments, placing on the market of rendered prodcust, etc. are strongly interdependent and form a coherent entity. moreover they are primarily based on general hygiene standards. It is proposed to treat national trade, intr-Community trade, import and export in an equivalent manner. All existing Community rules on TSEs are incorporated in the proposal including preventive measures e.g. feed and SRM bans. A legal base is created for eradication of all TSEs, including scrapie and BSE in sheep, and for trade requirements preventing the spread of BSE by movements of live bovine, ovine and caprine animals. In the absence of scientific advice and international standards on the eradication of scrapie, or on trade rules to prevent the spread of BSE through sheep, no detailed rules are proposed in these areas. The same would apply to eradication of BSE in sheep but following the precautionary principle and the serious consequences of the possible establishment of a BSE reservoir in sheep, detailed rules for BSE eradication in sheep are proposed nevertheless. Community rules for the movement of live breeding sheep and goats related to scrapie already exist. These have been transposed to this proposal, with the exception of the current option for Member States to demand additional guarantees on the basis of a Community approved scrapie control programme. In the past, a policy decision was taken not to proceed withthe approval of national programmes and the subsequent granting of additional guarantees beyond the limited list of diseases for which programmes had already been approved. It was felt that the accumulation of national programmes and additional guarantees would constitute an unjustified barrier to trade and disrupt the internal market. The aforementioned list dopes not include scrapie. Since the proposal at hand has as its objective to harmonise all trade rules relating to TSEs, including scrapie, and offers the legal base for eradication of scrapie, there is no longer a need for nationam programmes for scrapie control. For implementing rules, the management procedure is proposed; for new rules, and amendment of the Annexes, the Regulatory procedure is proposed. This is considered appropriate to give the Commission the necessary tools to 'manage' the BSE crisis.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Health and Consumers'}],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(1998)0623
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0117/2000
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0219/2000
• Debate in Council: 2276
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(2000)0824
• Debate in Council: 2322
• Council position published: 14780/1/2000
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A5-0118/2001
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0220/2001
• : Regulation 2001/999
• : OJ L 147 31.05.2001, p. 0001

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)