WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3645/97 by Clive NEEDLE to the Commission. The rise in the incidence of tuberculosis
8. 6. 98 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 174/89 The Commission has published a Green Paper dealing with the application of the competition rules to vertical restraints, and in particular distribution agreements (2). The Green Paper looks at a range of options as part of an extensive review of the approach that competition policy ought to be taking towards agreements of this kind. It has provided the basis for a wide-ranging debate with interested parties. The conclusions will serve as guidance to the Commission when it comes to draft the measures that will be needed, not least in order to replace the block exemption mentioned above, which is to expire at the end of 1999 (3). The Commission does not believe that consumers would necessarily be deprived of proper information or that the interests of the supplying company would be damaged if service stations were to distribute goods under their own trade name. (1) OJ L 173, 30. 6. 1983; corrigendum: OJ L 281, 13. 10. 1983. (2) Green Paper on Vertical Restraints in EC Competition Policy: COM(96) 721 final. (3) Its validity was extended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1582/97 of 30 July 1997 amending Regulations (EEC) No 1983/83 and No 1984/83 on the application of Article 85(3) of the Treaty to categories of exclusive distribution agreements and exclusive purchasing agreements respectively: OJ L 214, 6. 8. 1997. (98/C 174/140) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3645/97 by Clive Needle (PSE) to the Commission (13 November 1997) Subject: The rise in the incidence of tuberculosis The World Health Organization has just published a worrying and unprecedented report on the rise in the incidence of tuberculosis. This specifies a number of developing countries plus Latvia, Estonia and the Russian Federation as áhot spotsí where tuberculosis is resistant to antibiotics and treatment is described as átherapeutic anarchyí. Clearly this has implications for several aspects of EU policy and practice in the context of its public health competence as established in Article 129 of the Treaty on European Union. Will the Commission therefore set out urgently its approach to tackling tuberculosis with particular reference to research and development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs and treatment? Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (13 January 1998) Research into tuberculosis is one of the priorities of the research programme in the field of biomedicine and health. During the 4th Framework Programme for RTD (1), six European research networks were set up, mainly to carry out research into resistance to medication, the development of new vaccines, and also molecular epidemiology, which particularly involves partners in developing countries and in Eastern Europe. The fight against re-emerging infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, is explicitly outlined in the objectives of the 5th Framework Programme for RTD (2) proposed by the Commission, particularly in the objective entitled Unlocking the resources of the living world and the ecosystemí, key action ácontrol of viral and other infectious diseasesí. (1) OJ L 117, 8. 5. 1990. (2) COM(97) 142 final