Debates of the European Parliament 1

07-06-2011 EN Debates of the European Parliament 1 TUESDAY, 7 JUNE 2011 IN THE CHAIR: GIANNI PITTELLA Vice-President 1. Opening of the sitting (The sitting was opened at 09:05) 2. Documents received: see Minutes 3. Petitions: see Minutes 4. Texts of agreements forwarded by the Council: see Minutes 5. Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law (announcement of motions for resolutions tabled): see Minutes 6. EHEC outbreak in the EU Member States (debate) President. – The next item is the Commission statement on the EHEC outbreak in the EU Member States. John Dalli, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I should like to thank all of you for this opportunity to inform you about developments in relation to the outbreak of E coli. I am very concerned about the heavy burden of death and disease that this food-borne epidemic has caused the European population and want to take the opportunity once again to express my condolences to those who are suffering as a result. In this context, I have to note that the situation is still evolving. There are now over 1 672 Shiga-toxin-producing E coli cases, and serious complications have developed in at least 661 people. According to the latest information, this outbreak is responsible for 21 deaths in Germany and 1 in Sweden. Sporadic cases are reported in 11 other Member States. Switzerland has also reported 15 cases and the United States 4. The epicentre of the disease is still the area around Hamburg in northern Germany. Most of the cases reported outside Germany concern either German nationals travelling or persons who visited this part of Germany. So what is the European Commission doing to tackle the outbreak? First, we have immediately activated all our networks responsible for managing crises. The networks are in daily contact and allow for the timely exchange of information, laying the ground for rapid action. The Commission holds almost daily meetings with your public health authorities and food safety authorities to discuss the evolution of the outbreak, the health measures taken to prevent infection and the treatment of affected people. The Early Warning and Response System and the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed have provided a solid basis for exchanging information. Second, we have asked the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to do a scientific risk assessment, which is being updated regularly as the situation evolves. We now have an EU case definition which will allow Member States to share the same approach on the investigation of the outbreak. Patient questionnaires for outbreak 2 EN Debates of the European Parliament 07-06-2011 investigations are being collected and compared by the ECDC. The ECDC has also developed, together with the European Food Safety Authority, advice on preventive measures addressed to the public. This advice is now available in all official languages on the Commission website. We have asked the ECDC to urgently set up a platform to exchange best practice on treatment, involving both Member States and professional societies. Our food safety EU reference laboratory in Rome developed in record time a method which reduces the time needed to detect the E coli bacterium in food from about six days to 48 hours. Finally, let me stress that public perception is extremely important. In this regard, the Commission draws up daily updates, shared with the Health Security Committee communicators’ network and food safety authorities. In addition, the Commission keeps its website dedicated to this outbreak up to date. I would strongly urge Members of the European Parliament to support this science-based communication to the public, in order to reduce unnecessary fears and to reinforce our common efforts. I can assure you that the Commission, together with these agencies, is working very hard with national health and food safety ministries to support them in containing this outbreak. To do that, we need to pursue intensively the investigation into the source of contamination; the work is taking place as I speak. During the Health Council yesterday, I asked Germany to reinforce surveillance, outbreak controls and measures in order to identify the source of the outbreak and halt the spread of the infection. I also asked that the causes of the contamination should be swiftly dealt with. The German authorities accepted the Commission proposal to dispatch to Germany experts in epidemiology of food-borne diseases from the Commission, the ECDC and the EFSA. On Sunday, 5 June, the experts started their mission to assist German authorities with the ongoing epidemiology, verify the results and contribute to the ongoing investigations to identify the source. As we all know, the initial suspicion raised by the German authorities that cucumbers from Spain were the cause has not been confirmed by any test results available. On Sunday, 5 June, the German authorities notified the European Commission that, based on the epidemiological investigations, they believe bean sprouts are the possible source of the E coli outbreak affecting mainly the northern part of Germany. The information was transferred immediately to all Member States through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed. The Commission follows any new development closely, and will decide on the appropriate course of action the moment laboratory tests confirm any epidemiological finding. We do not have any results to date. Here, I should stress that it is crucial that national authorities do not rush to give information on any source of infection which is not proven by bacteriological analysis, as this spreads unjustified fears in the population all over Europe and creates problems for our food producers selling products in the EU and outside the EU. While such intensive investigations are going on, we must be careful not to jump to premature conclusions. In this respect, I want to refer to the latest information coming from Germany regarding the suspicion that sprouts may be the source of contamination; 07-06-2011 EN Debates of the European Parliament 3 it noted that laboratory tests have not been concluded and that consequently, premature conclusions have to be avoided. This illustrates that it is important for the Member States to introduce well sustained and scientifically based alerts into the RASFF and to trigger the RASFF when Member States are confident regarding the scientific evidence supporting the alert notification. You have to act quickly and decisively in order to preserve the Internal Market. If we manage to do this, then we can learn from the lessons of this crisis and continually improve our systems. I have been repeating: our system works. We need to learn lessons as we go along. I believe that this is our responsibility: to be flexible and to be fast in adjusting our processes and procedures to respond to these types of incidents. Coordination and clear lines of information and communication remain the core of our ability to be effective in such situations. We have to learn lessons on this front. Before closing, I would like to raise briefly two more points. The first concerns references to bans on certain products. I would like to stress again that the outbreak is limited geographically to an area surrounding the city of Hamburg, so there is no reason, as of today, to take such measures at European level. In the light of this and of the steps towards the identification of the source, we consider any ban on any product as disproportionate. Finally, I am also very sensitive to the financial impact that this crisis is having on farmers, particularly vegetable producers. This is why I am working closely with my colleague, Commissioner Cioloş, to address the hardship faced by this group of our citizens that has also been hit by the outbreak. In fact, Agriculture Ministers are holding an extraordinary Council meeting today to address E coli. As I finish talking to you, I will head back to Brussels to be with my colleague, Commissioner Cioloş, during this extraordinary Agriculture Ministers’ Council. In addition, we are in constant contact with third countries, in particular Russia, to ask them to lift their ban, which is considered disproportionate. The Commission is working hand in hand with the Member States with one common goal: to bring this outbreak to an end as soon as possible. I am insisting to all concerned that, in situations like this, it is not a local problem, it is a European problem. (Applause) Peter Liese , on behalf of the PPE Group. – (DE) Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Commissioner Dalli for focusing on the patients first. I would like to do the same. Hundreds of people are severely ill. Medical personnel in northern Germany are really at their limit. Twenty-two people have already died. Yesterday in the Council, a representative of another Member State, Luxembourg, said that financial losses could be recompensed, but human life cannot. Therefore, I would firstly like to ask for understanding with regard to issuing a warning even if we are not 100% certain where the source is but only have a suspicion – that we also make this information public. Of course, we still have to find the source. I see that many people working for the authorities, with the support of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), too – my sincere thanks to the European institutions and to Commissioner Dalli for the fact that the European Union is also helping to investigate this matter – are really working very intensively on this. Nevertheless, as a German Member of this House, I cannot stand here and say that 4 EN Debates of the European Parliament 07-06-2011 everything is going well.

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