Lund (PSE). – (DA) Mr President, I must firstly convey my special thanks to Mrs Ayuso, the Commission and the Council for cooperating so well on the current proposal and compromise concerning additives, so that we might conclude this matter no later than at first reading.

I suppose our package permits the further use of additives, but it has been quite crucial for me that we are now also putting the emphasis on the Commission’s supervision and re-evaluation of the use of previously approved substances. I hope that we do not continue with the policy of just going on accepting new additives and an extended use of already approved substances so that such additives and substances are only omitted from the list when the industry itself informs us that they are no longer used. I think that the policy so far has been unduly defensive. In my opinion, the Commission should constantly inspect and re-evaluate the use of additives so that the three well-known conditions for using them are fully complied with at all times. I am therefore very pleased about the provisions in the package whereby the Commission must, within two years, present an overall report on the re-evaluation of additives and whereby this report must promptly focus especially upon the use of certain types, including nitrates, nitrites and polysorbates. I hope that tomorrow’s adoption of the reports and the process leading to approval of the package may herald a better policy on the use of additives in food.

I should also like to take the opportunity of thanking Mr Olsson for his really constructive cooperation in connection with banning the use of hormones in animal husbandry. In this area too, we are now obtaining a result in which the use of the carcinogenic hormone, oestradiol 17β will cease in the course of two years. In other words, hormones in general will cease to be used in animal husbandry. This is a sound and very positive result that Mr Olsson has piloted through.