WRITTEN QUESTION E-1254/00 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Council. Murder of the Irish lawyer, Rosemary Nelson.
26. 1. 2001 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 26 E/161 Unfortunately, as a result of subtle and deceitful propaganda by the industries and operators concerned, the belief has taken root that herbs, being natural products, are useful and harmless and produce no toxic effects. The uncontrolled use of medicinal herbs is dangerous for the following reasons: ü the concentrations and/or doses of the active principles present in herbs freely sold by herbalists are not properly standardised, with the result that it is never possible to be sure what dose has been taken; ü it is not known whether pollutants such as herbicides, pesticides or heavy metals may be present; ü little is yet known about interactions between herbs and other drugs or foodstuffs or caused by the administering of several herbs at the same time, with the result that the taking of some medicinal herbs may produce unforeseeable toxic effects; ü there is a danger that the use of medicinal herbs thought to be effective and innocuous by uninformed patients may lead to their abandoning conventional treatments such as antineoplastic drugs with serious consequences for their health. Consumer protection is needed in the following areas: ü consumers must be informed of the active principles and possible pollutants present in the medicinal herbs they are taking; ü consumers must be aware of the exact dose they are taking; ü consumers must be informed of interactions between herbs and other drugs or foodstuffs; ü consumers must be informed of risks deriving from the toxicity of the active principles and possible pollutants. In the light of the above considerations, what steps does the Council plan to take to protect public health? Will it review the rules governing the marketing of medicinal herbs in the light of the documented scientific findings? Will it ask the EMEA to assess the information available on individual plants and herbs and provide the guidelines needed for the proper dispensing of these products, which are currently administered with hardly any controls? Reply (26 June 2000) The Council shares the concerns expressed by the Honourable Member about the uncontrolled use of medicinal plants and herbs and the advisability of protecting the consumer against the risks of abusing these products. It was with this in mind that the Council, on 20 December 1995, adopted a resolution on medicinal plant preparations in which it invited the Commission to study, in close collaboration with the Member States, the problems posed in this context (1). The Commission has yet to respond to this invitation. (1) OJ C 350, 30. 12. 1995, p. 6. (2001/C 26 E/200) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1254/00 by Armando Cossutta (GUE/NGL) to the Council Subject: Murder of the Irish lawyer, Rosemary Nelson (27 April 2000) On 15 March last year the solicitor, Rosemary Nelson, died of injuries sustained in a car bomb attack. C 26 E/162 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 26. 1. 2001 A few months earlier, she had appeared before the Washington Human Rights sub-committee to denounce the death threats and verbal and physical abuse of which she was the victim. Officers of the Northern Ireland police force, the RUC, were named as being responsible for the abuse and the reason for it was her reputation as áthe IRAís lawyerí. A report published by British-Irish Rights Watch claims that the British Government was aware of the threats to Rosemary Nelson. Does the Council believe that the British Government was wrong not to include Rosemary Nelson in 1. its protection programme? Does the Council not think that there should be the greatest possible transparency in the inquiry into 2. the murder, for which the RUC itself is apparently responsible? Does the Council think it should ask the British Government to open its own inquiry into the 3. murder? Reply (26 June 2000) The Honourable Memberís questions relate to matters which are not within the Councilís competence. (2001/C 26 E/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1313/00 by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission (27 April 2000) Subject: Suitability of tender documents for a contract concerning the supply of work clothes for the Italian postal workers The CESAR research centre (centre for aeronautical and environmental studies) acts as a consultant to several government departments (including the department for civil protection of the Prime Ministerís Office) on matters of environmental protection and the protection of the health and safety of workers. In this capacity it was therefore asked for its opinion on the invitation to tender and the related specifications issued by the Poste Italiane SpA (Italian postal service) concerning a contract for the supply of items of clothing, including 100 000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE). CESAR found that the tender the said tender documents were unsuitable for two reasons: specifications were such that it was highly likely that the PPEs offered by companies would be entirely useless as a means of protecting workers (owing to their poor quality) and, secondly, that they would actually be unusable (if the invitation to tender for the supply of PPEs is not accompanied by an invitation to tender for the laundering, replacement and repair of the said items, the clothes will be unusable). firstly, So far, these findings have been completely ignored. Can the Commission check whether the Community laws on tenders and on safety in the workplace have been complied with and, if not, urge the Italian postal service to suspend and/or cancel the contract in question? Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission (5 June 2000) On the basis of the information provided by the Honourable Member, the Commission is not in a position to determine whether the invitation to tender in question is in conformity with Community procurement rules and, in particular, with the provisions of Council Directive 93/36/EEC of 14 June 1993 coordinating procedures for the award of public supply contracts (1)