REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission

30.6.2008 - (COM(2008)0053 – C6‑0054/2008 – 2008/0030(COD)) - ***I

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Rapporteur: Gyula Hegyi

Procedure : 2008/0030(COD)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
A6-0279/2008
Texts tabled :
A6-0279/2008
Debates :
Texts adopted :

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission

(COM(2008)0053 – C6‑0054/2008 – 2008/0030(COD))

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2008)0053),

–   having regard to Article 251(2) and Article 154(4)(b) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C6‑0054/2008),

–   having regard to Rule 51 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (A6‑0279/2008),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend the proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

3.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and Commission.

Amendment  1

Proposal for a regulation – amending act

Article 1 – point 1 a (new)

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001

Article 9 – paragraph 3

 

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

 

(1a) Article 9, paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following:

 

"3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply, in the light of the criteria set out in point 5 of Annex V, to ruminants which have undergone an alternative test which has been recognised by the Commission, where the results of the test were negative.

 

Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 24(3)."

Justification

This measure should be aligned to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny, like the rapid tests under Article 5(3) and the alternative tests under Article 8(2).

Amendment  2

Proposal for a regulation – amending act

Article 1 – point 1 b (new)

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001

Article 13 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 3

 

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

 

(1b) In Article 13, paragraph 1, the third subparagraph shall be replaced by the following:

 

"By way of derogation from this paragraph, Member States may apply other measures offering an equivalent level of protection, if those measures have been approved in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 24(2), on the basis of criteria adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 24(3)."

Justification

The assessment whether the level of protection is equivalent should be based on criteria adopted under the regulatory procedure with scrutiny.

Amendment  3

Proposal for a regulation – amending act

Article 1 – point 5 – point a

Regulation (EC) No 999/2001

Article 23a – point a

 

Text proposed by the Commission

Amendment

(a) approval of the rapid tests referred to in Article 5(3) third subparagraph, Article 6(1) and Article 8(2),

(a) approval of the rapid tests referred to in Article 5(3) third subparagraph, Article 6(1), Article 8(2) and Article 9(3),

Justification

Also Article 9.3 refers to these tests.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) is a serious threat to our health; this deadly infectious disease spreads by a specific protein, which can be found in infected meat. It results deterioration of the human brain. We decreased this epidemic, thanks to strict European legislation. In this report, your Rapporteur supplements the great work of the previous Rapporteur adding new elements to be regulated with regulatory procedure with scrutiny.

The Commission's proposal leads to the right direction, but it should be amended. We have to be extremely cautious to ensure that the regulatory procedure with scrutiny does not slow down the measures against TSE. We also have to avoid the creation of loopholes in legislation when giving exceptions to Member States. The role of the European Parliament is very important in this process as its work and documents are transparent. After the well known scandals concerning TSE cases, the European public rightly needs and deserves this transparency.

PROCEDURE

Title

Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission

References

COM(2008)0053 – C6-0054/2008 – 2008/0030(COD)

Date submitted to Parliament

6.2.2008

Committee responsible

       Date announced in plenary

ENVI

21.2.2008

Committee(s) asked for opinion(s)

       Date announced in plenary

JURI

21.2.2008

 

 

 

Not delivering opinions

       Date of decision

JURI

8.4.2008

 

 

 

Rapporteur(s)

       Date appointed

Gyula Hegyi

26.2.2008

 

 

Discussed in committee

27.5.2008

 

 

 

Date adopted

24.6.2008

 

 

 

Result of final vote

+:

–:

0:

39

0

1

Members present for the final vote

Adamos Adamou, Margrete Auken, Liam Aylward, John Bowis, Frieda Brepoels, Hiltrud Breyer, Magor Imre Csibi, Chris Davies, Avril Doyle, Mojca Drčar Murko, Matthias Groote, Satu Hassi, Gyula Hegyi, Jens Holm, Dan Jørgensen, Christa Klaß, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Urszula Krupa, Marios Matsakis, Linda McAvan, Roberto Musacchio, Riitta Myller, Miroslav Ouzký, Vladko Todorov Panayotov, Vittorio Prodi, Frédérique Ries, Guido Sacconi, Horst Schnellhardt, Richard Seeber, Kathy Sinnott, María Sornosa Martínez, Antonios Trakatellis, Thomas Ulmer, Anja Weisgerber, Glenis Willmott

Substitute(s) present for the final vote

Iles Braghetto, Jutta Haug, Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Karsten Friedrich Hoppenstedt

Substitute(s) under Rule 178(2) present for the final vote

Elspeth Attwooll