WRITTEN QUESTION No. 194/99 by Freddy BLAK Corruption and the Olympic Games
C 341/66 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 29. 11. 1999 3. 4. 5. How many deaths were caused by nvCJD in Great Britain in 1998? How many deaths were caused by nvCJD in Great Britain in 1999? How many cases of nvCJD have currently been diagnosed in Great Britain? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (31 March 1999) As appears from the press release of the British authorities (Department of health) issued on 1st March 1999 there were 3 deaths in the United Kingdom caused by Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (nvCJD) in 1995, 10 in 1996, 10 in 1997, 15 in 1998 and 1 in 1999. These official figures include deaths due to definite and probable cases. The attribution of a ‘definite’ diagnosis refers to pathological confirmation, in most cases by post mortem examination of brain tissue. The attribution of a ‘probable’ case is based on clinical diagnostic criteria but without pathological confirmation. However, to provide as complete data as possible on deaths due to nvCJD, ‘probable’ cases are included. As with any disease surveillance system, there are a number of living ‘suspect’ cases of nvCJD under investigation at any time. They are not included in the official statistics since their number exceeds the number of subsequently ‘confirmed’ cases by a ratio of about 4:1, and this ratio varies from month to month. Clinical diagnostic criteria have already been developed for the classification of suspect cases as ‘probable’, ‘possible’ or ‘unlikely to be nvCJD’, but these criteria are not yet validated. If the criteria are accepted by the scientific community as providing reasonable diagnostic accuracy, it may be possible in the near future to provide meaningful information on the numbers of ‘probable’ cases that are living. (1999/C 341/092) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0194/99 by Freddy Blak (PSE) to the Commission (11 February 1999) Subject: Corruption and the Olympic Games Following recent revelations concerning the dubious methods used to secure the Winter Olympics for Salt Lake City, with inducements including free sex, scholarships, travel and favourable property deals for IOC members, will the Commission say how much money the EU gives to support the Olympic Games generally and whether adequate checks are made to ensure that such money is used as intended? Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission (24 March 1999) The Commission has never granted a financial contribution to the International Olympic Committee. In 1992, the Commission made two direct contributions to the committees organising the Olympic Games in Barcelona (EUR 6 million) and Albertville (EUR 4 million) in order to give a Community dimension to the opening ceremonies. The Commission thus responded to an invitation from Parliament, among others. It should be recalled that the decision to hold the Games in the two Community cities was taken in 1987. The Community’s involvement in the 1992 Olympic Games was the subject of a Communication (1) to Parliament and the Council. (1) COM(92) 575 final