No L 95/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 4. 96 DECISION No 647/96/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 29 March 1996 adopting a programme of Community action on the prevention of AIDS and certain other communicable discases within the framework for action in the field of public health (1996 to 2000) 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 laid down in Article 189b of the Treaty (%) in the light of the joint text approved on 31 January 1996 by the Conciliation Committee, (1) Whereas the Council, in its Resolution of 2 June 1994 (%), in response to the Commission communication of 24 November 1993 on a framework for action in the field of public health, included AIDS and other communicable diseases among the priority areas for Community action for which the Commission was invited to bring forward proposals for action; Whereas AIDS is at present an incurable disease regarded as a major scourge, to combat which coordinated action is required in the areas both of research and of prevention; Whereas it is important to promote the utilization and proper use of condoms as a means of preventing transmission of the HIV virus and other sexually-transmissible diseases; Whereas AIDS is a phenomenon that poses a dilemma not only for those parts of human relationships  of most intimate concern  to (') OJ No C 333, 29. 11. 1994, p. 34, and O] No C 228, 2. 9. 1995, p. 6. () OJ No C 133, 31. 5. 1995, p. 23. ) O] No C 100, 2. 4. 1996, p. 28. {(*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 27 April 1995 (O] No C 126, 22. 5. 1995, p. 74), Council Common Position of 2 June 1995 (O] No C 216, 21. 8. 1995, p. 11) and Decision of the European Parliament of 25 October 1995 (O] No C 308, 20. 11. 1995). Decision of the Furopean Parliament of 15 February 1996 (O] No C 65, 4. 3. 1996) and Council Decision of 16 February 1996. (*) O] No C 165, 17. 6. 1994, p. 1. ( 3 individuals, but also for modes of collective behaviour; whereas its implications extend to law and the economy, to politics, public health, education and culture, as well as to medicine, sociology and research; Whereas the plan of action adopted by Decision 91/317/EEC of the Council and the Ministers for Health of the Member States, meeting within the Council (°), in the framework of the ‘Europe against AIDS’ programme expired at the end of 1993; Whereas the ‘Europe against AIDS’ programme was extended until the end of 1995 by Decision No 1729/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (7); Whereas the Council in  its  conclusions of 13 December 1993 on the setting up of an epidemiological network in the Community (*) and the European Parliament in its resolutions of 26 May 1989(°), 15 May 1991(") and 19 November 1993("") took the view that it was essential to acquire a better knowledge of diseases on the basis of their causes and their epidemiological context; whereas, accordingly, the two institutions have called on the Commission to submit proposals for the setting up of an epidemiological network in the Community; Whereas the European Parliament and the Council emphasized that the smooth running of a network for gathering epidemiological data requires that the comparability and compatibility of data be ensured and that theoretical training in epidemiology and practical preparation in epidemiology in the field be developed for the teams participating in the network; Whereas the Community is in a position to make a major contribution towards the organization of exchanges of experience and the dissemination of information with regard to the specific training of health professionals and the information of all the soctal players involved, such as teachers, families, authorities and heads of undertakings; (10) Whereas, in their Resolution of 13 November 1992 (%), the Council and the Ministers for OJ No L 175, 4. 7. 1991, p. 26. O] No L 168, 18. 7. 1995, p. 1. OJ No C 326, 11. ) ) ) OJ No C 15, 18. 1. 1994, p. 6. ‘) Q) No C 158, 26. 6. 1989, p. 477. ) OJ No C 158, 17. 6. 1991, p. 45. ) O] No C 329, 6. 12. 1993, p. 375. ) 12. 1992, p. 1.