WRITTEN QUESTION E-2137/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Ban on BADGE and BFDGE used as paints for tins.
24. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 303 E/29 The Commission has channelled extensive support to those institutions which possess the requisite technical experience and know-how ü the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), the International Science and Technology Centre (ISTC) in Moscow and the Science and Technology Centre in Ukraine (STCU). The Commission instigated consideration of the Y2K issue at the TACIS on-site assistance meetings organised by WANO in November 1998 and May 1999 and instructed on-site assistance contractors to ensure the Y2K compliance of equipment delivered under Community programmes. Y2K instructions were later incorporated into on-site assistance contracts. A specific TACIS support project is being implemented by WANO, involving visits to designated nuclear power plants in Ukraine and Russia. The organisation is reviewing the Y2K status of these plants and supporting contingency planning efforts in co-ordination with IAEA. The ISRC has established a special fund totalling 2 M$ to assist Russian and NIS institutions in solving issues related to the Y2K problem, involving individuals and teams from the former weapon research institutes. A number of project proposals have recently been approved. These projects, developed with the participation of the Russian Ministry of atomic energy (Minatom) and the Russian Ministry of emergency situations, will, among others, provide direct support to nine nuclear power plants and to the evaluation of nuclear fuel cycle installations. Funding is directed to co-ordination within Minatom, equipment, software and hardware upgrades and technical expertise. The STCU is undertaking similar efforts in Ukraine. The Commission is also providing support to the Bulgarian, Slovakian and Russian nuclear regulatory authorities. In addition to practical advice and assistance, the Commission has endeavoured to raise awareness on the Y2K issue. The Commissionís Concert Group (consisting of the senior nuclear regulators of 25 Commun- ity, CEEC and NIS countries) has discussed the issue on three occasions since June 1998. All CEEC and NIS nuclear regulatory authorities now have action plans. The content of these plans and their state of progress varies significantly. Some countries are as well prepared as their Community counterparts, while others are significantly less advanced. The G-24 Nuclear Safety Assistance Co-ordination (NUSAC) secretariat, hosted by the Commission, raised the Y2K issue at its March 1999 meeting. This brought together CEEC and NIS countries and the donors of nuclear safety assistance and considered the role of donor countries in assessing the Y2K compliance of equipment which they had supplied. Two workshops on essential infrastructures were organised by the Commission in April and September 1999. On 22 July 1999, a dedicated seminar on electricity grids was organised by the Commission. Delegations from Eastern European countries attended the July and September meetings, during which the issue of nuclear safety was discussed. (2000/C 303 E/025) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2137/99 by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission (24 November 1999) Subject: Ban on BADGE and BFDGE used as paints for tins The Belgian federation has recently withdrawn from sale tins of sardines and tuna because of the possibly harmful effect of the chemical paint used for coating the tins. C 303 E/30 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 Analyses conducted by the consumer organisation Test-Aankoop show that 50 ü 65 % of the food in the tins investigated had been polluted with the chemical substances BADGE (biphenol-A-dyglycidylether) and BFDGE (biphenol-F-dyglycidylether). BADGE is used as the innermost coating in tins. BFDGE is related to BADGE but may not be used on substances which come into contract with food. Nevertheless, Test-Aankoop found traces of BFDGE in 65 % of the tins analysed. Given that imports of tins of sardines and tuna are not confined to the Belgian federation: 1. 2. Is the Commission aware of similar BADGE and/or BFDGE problems in the other Member States of the European Union? If so, what action has been taken to remove contaminated food from shops? If not, will the Commission request Member States to carry out careful checks on the presence of BADGE and/or BFDGE in tinned food? Is the Commission drafting a directive banning BADGE and BFDGE as innermost coating for tins? If so, what is the main thrust of this directive? If not, is the Commission prepared to issue a ban on the use of BADGE and BFDGE as coating layers for tins containing food, in the light of the carcinogenic effect of the two substances? Supplementary answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (25 January 2000) 1. (a) The Commission is aware that some tins release BADGE (=Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether) and/or BFDGE (=Bisphenol F diglycidyl ether) and/or their derivatives. Similar studies have been carried out at national level (1), (2), (3) and by the Commissionís Joint Research Centre (4). (b) The national authorities have the power to withdraw foodstuffs exceeding the legal limits from the market. The Commission does not. (c) The Commission will ask all the Member States to carry out tests to check for the presence of all these substances in foodstuffs using the most appropriate methods. However, it should be noted that the Member States have been attentive to the problem of the migration of these substances from tins coated with varnish for several years now. 2. (a) At present the Commission does not plan to prohibit the use of BADGE as a component of the varnishes used for coating tins. The Commission has just adopted Commission Directive 1999/ 91/EC of 23 November 1999, amending Directive 90/128/EEC relating to plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs (5), which lays down a specific migration limit for this substance, in accordance with the latest opinion of the Scientific Committee for Food (SCF) (6). This limit is also applied by the Member States to tins coated with a layer of varnish. With regard to BFDGE, and more particularly NOGE (=Novolac glycidyl ethers) containing the BFDGE, which can be used to replace BADGE in certain clearly defined applications, Commission cannot yet specify its position. The SCF, which examined the information on BFDGE at its meeting on 1-2 December 1999, has not yet officially adopted the minutes of the meeting, which should include a preliminary statement on the toxicity of these substances. The Commission will examine the content of this statement as soon as possible and, after consulting the Member States, take any measures required. 24. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 303 E/31 (b) On the basis of the SCFís opinions on BADGE already published (2), (7), (8) and of the provisional version of the SCFís preliminary statement on BFDGE, which will soon be available on the Internet (9), the Commission cannot share the view held by the Honourable Member and the press that these two substances are carcinogencic. (1) Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF) UK, survey of BADGE epoxy monomer in canned food (May 1997), MAFF project number FS2707. In: W. Summerfield, A. Goodson, I. Cooper. Food Additives and Contami- nants, 1998, 15, 818-830. (2) PIRA project on migration of monomers and overall migration. In: P. A. Tice. Food Additives and Contaminants, 1998, 5 (suppl. 1), 373-380. (3) MAFF Food Safety Information Bulletin, 89, October 1997. (4) Simoneau, C. , Theobald A. and Anklam E. Ispra report: results of a European survey of BADGE in canned fish in oil. January 23, 1998. (5) OJ L 310, 4. 12. 1999. (6) Opinion of the Scientific Committee of 24 March 1999 on Food on Bisphenol A Diglycidyl Ether (BADGE), http:// www. europa. eu. int/comm/dg24/health/sc/scf/out28_en. html. (7) Clarification and explanation of the SCFís opinion of 7 June 1996 on BADGE. Forty fourth series of Reports, (in press) or http://www. europa. eu. int/comm/dg24/health/sc/oldcomm7/out05_en. html. (8) Opinion on Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE), June 1996. SCF (1997). Fortieth series of Reports, GT 07 97652, Commission of the European Communities, Luxembourg. (9) See http://www. europa. eu. int/comm/dg24/health/sc/scf/. (2000/C 303 E/026) WRITTEN QUESTION P-2165/99 by Guido Viceconte (PPE-DE) to the Commission (19 November 1999) Subject: Internal restructuring of the Commission According to unofficial information reported in the European press, as part of the Commissionís internal restructuring a senior official from the Presidentís private office is preparing to become Director-General of the Enterprise Directorate-General. Does the Commission not consider that such an appointment, in addition to conflicting with the 1. statements made by President Prodi on a number of occasions, may trigger a process of ánepotismí and áparachutingí, which has several times been condemned by the European Parliament and which was regarded as being one of the aspects of bad management laid at the door of the Santer Commission? President Prodi has stressed that 2. the abolition of national quotas for senior posts is a great achievement; does the Commission not consider that this approach (which is, moreover, premature, because European integration is still far from being completed) may give rise to national imbalances and reward those countries which contribute less, politically and financially, to the process of European integration, by introducing a system of co-option which could simply favour special interests and personal networks? (2000/C 303 E/027) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2213/99 by Guido Viceconte (PPE-DE), Luigi Cesaro (PPE-DE), Raffaele Costa (PPE-DE), Francesco Musotto (PPE-DE), Umberto Scapagnini (PPE-DE), Stefano Zappalà (PPE-DE), Jas Gawronski (PPE-DE), Raffaele Fitto (PPE-DE), Mario Mauro (PPE-DE) and Renato Brunetta (PPE-DE) to the Commission Subject: Reform of the Commission bureaucracy (29 November 1999) According to unofficial information, also reported in the European press, in the context of the internal reorganisation of the Commission, a senior official who is a member of the Presidentís private office is about to become Director-General of the DG for Enterprise Policy