Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-02-10-Speech-2-033"
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"en.20040210.2.2-033"2
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".
I am pleased to be here to discuss the Commission’s proposal for a regulation to establish a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, submitted to the Council and the European Parliament in August 2003.
Allow me first to express my gratitude to the rapporteur, Mr Bowis, and the members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy for all their hard work and support on this important and urgent proposal.
The SARS emergency in the early spring of 2003 served as a sharp reminder of the need to accelerate the further development of our capacity to deal with health threats. The current epidemic of avian influenza in Asia – that we have just discussed – with its potential risk to public health, reinforces the need for prompt and effective action.
The existing Community network for surveillance and control of communicable diseases is a solid basis on which we can build – to enhance cooperation between the Member States, the Commission and international organisations, in particular the World Health Organisation.
We need to have the means at our disposal to respond to emerging health threats based on the best scientific advice, in the shortest possible time. Establishment of the centre marks the shift from ad hoc cooperation to structured coordination through a focal point, giving clear scientific leadership.
In some recent cases, in response to WHO requests for help, we have seen teams from different Member States investigating the same phenomena with slightly different methodologies, sending samples to different laboratories, with each of them reporting separately. This divergence would end with the creation of a scientifically reputable centre with the authority to act at Community level on matters such as surveillance, networking of expert laboratories or mobilising outbreak investigation teams.
The Commission’s text takes into account budgetary rigour and respects the Member States’ responsibilities on public health.
At first, the centre's core task will be to deal with communicable diseases from whatever source – deliberate or adventitious. The question of extending its mandate subsequently should be addressed on the basis of experience. I very much hope that we can reach a speedy agreement between the institutions – during first reading – to enable the centre to become operational as soon as possible."@en1
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