WRITTEN QUESTION E-0781/00 by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Food Authority.
C 374 E/152 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 28. 12. 2000 The Dutch Government has 3. 1 February 2000. (1) OJ C 307, 7. 10. 1998, p. 10. (2) OJ L 280, 30. 10. 1999, p. 87. informed the Commission that the scheme was abolished on (2000/C 374 E/180) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0781/00 by Roger Helmer (PPE-DE) to the Commission (16 March 2000) Subject: Food Authority During the Committee on the Environmentís question-and-answer session of 23 February 2000 on the proposed establishment of a Food Authorityí, Commissioner Byrne made it clear that he believes that the proposed authority should not deal solely with food standards, but also should address nutritional and dietary issues. He added the rider, áso that the Food Authority is not merely telling scare stories from an ivory towerí. Furthermore, Commissioner Byrne stated that the Food Authority should draw on advisory research that may have been commissioned by outside organisations in the Member States. With these points in mind, could the Commission please comment on this obvious opportunity to address positively the issue of fortification. More particularly, does the Commission support the need to authorise and regulate disease-risk reduction information on food packs providing customers with positive health- related information about food? Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (3 May 2000) As mentioned in the white paper on food safety (1), adopted by the Commission on 12 January 2000, a proposal for a Parliament and Council directive on on fortified food is foreseen for September 2000. At present, the Commission is studying the issue of food fortification in depth with a view to preparing such a proposal. It is difficult at this stage to inform the Honourable Member about the proposalís orientation as work is still in a preliminary phase. Regarding the views of the Commission on claims concerning reduction of risk of disease, the Honourable Member is invited to refer to the answer given by the Commission to Written Question E-232/00 by Mrs Thomas-Mauro (2). (1) COM(1999) 719 final. (2) OJ C 303 E, 24. 10. 2000. (2000/C 374 E/181) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0786/00 by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Council (16 March 2000) Subject: Judicial cooperation on paedophilia The introduction of a policy on cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs under the Treaty of Maastricht was a vital step forwards in the European project. It is indeed difficult to understand why, in a Europe of complete freedom of movement and establishment, justice should remain subject to rigid borders