Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-10-05-Speech-2-038"
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"en.19991005.3.2-038"2
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"Thank you, Mr President. I have listened with interest to the debate today. I have listened with interest to the things which Mr Prodi has said in the past about how we can reach a solution to the crisis with food safety within Europe. One conclusion comes immediately to my mind which I do not hear Mr Prodi addressing, and that is the implementation and enforcing of existing legislation. Forget about creating new agencies, forget about new rules; why are you not looking much more seriously at implementing and enforcing the existing legislation? If you had done that, then we should not have had a dioxin crisis in Belgium. Mr Prodi really has to think about that and perhaps produce proposals for that before Christmas.
Central to the solutions that he is proposing is the food agency. We have to remember, Mr Prodi, that when this Parliament has looked at this problem of a food agency in the past, we have not been absolutely sure about whether this is the right way forward. However we, like you, are prepared to listen and consider it. But I have to say to you that we will have to ask you some very hard questions before we can be satisfied that you are moving in the right direction.
The first question will be whether it is a food and drug agency or a food safety agency that you are proposing? The second will be how much power you will devolve from the Commission to this new agency, and perhaps to some of the existing agencies, so that they can do their job better and assist the food agency in solving the problems regarding food in Europe? How will you ensure the accountability of these new agencies? Would you consider, for example, hearings held here in the European Parliament to choose the directors of those agencies? There are many issues that we want to hear from you about, Mr Prodi. We would like to hear from you today about them. We definitely want to see them in your White Paper.
Finally, Mr President, I would say that there is already a confusion in the minds of parliamentarians about who is responsible inside the Commission for key elements of this problem. We have Mr Byrne responsible for some issues and Mrs Wallström responsible for others, particularly as regards GMOs. You must resolve those issues inside the Commission before you take steps towards creating a food agency."@en1
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