PRESS RELEASE

Subject :

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows:

The Council reached unanimous political agreement with a view to adoption of a common position on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council setting high standards of quality and safety for the collection, testing, processing, storage, and distribution of human blood and blood components and amending Council Directive 89/381/EEC.

The common position will be formally adopted at a future Council meeting with a view to forwarding it to the European Parliament for a second reading.

With regard to the last outstanding point, the Council reached agreement on a text providing for the encouragement of voluntary and unpaid blood donations by Member States with a view to ensuring that blood and blood components come from such donations as far as possible.

The aim of the proposal (the first on this subject to be based directly on the Treaty Article dealing with public health protection) is to set standards of quality and safety for human blood and blood components, to be applied for the greater part of the blood transfusion chain, from pre-donation to distribution of these substances for therapeutic use.

The Council held a policy debate on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products.

This new proposal is intended to replace an earlier Directive (98/43/EC) on the same subject which was annulled by the European Court of Justice on 5 October 2000 on the grounds that some provisions were not in conformity with the legal basis on which it had been adopted.

The Council's discussion focused on the scope of the proposal, taking account of the judgment by the Court of Justice.

The Council asked the Permanent Representatives Committee to continue examining the proposal pending the European Parliament's first-reading Opinion.

The purpose of the proposal is to harmonise some of the current national regulations on tobacco advertising in print media, radio broadcasting and in information society services as well as sponsorship which has a cross-border effect, while ensuring the free movement of the media concerned and eliminating obstacles to the operation of the Internal Market.

In particular it aims at banning tobacco advertising in the print media apart from a few limited exceptions, all forms of broadcast advertising and the sponsorship of events or activities involving several Member States with the aim of promoting a tobacco product, in order to supplement a 1989 Community Directive (Directive 89/552/EEC as amended by Directive 97/36//EC) which prohibits television advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products.

The Council was briefed by the Commission on the state of play regarding the preparation of Community positions with a view to the third meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for the future Convention to be held from 22 to 28 November, and of the priority areas identified with a view to the negotiations.

At the first two meetings, which also dealt to a great extent with organisational issues, there was a first reading of the draft Convention, and initial exchanges of views.

The Council has adopted a Recommendation on the prudent use of antimicrobial agents in human medicine.

This initiative forms part of a Community strategy against antimicrobial resistance which was the subject of a Commission communication submitted to the Council in June 2001.

Antimicrobial resistance poses a threat to public health, may prolong the suffering of patients and increase healthcare costs and has economic implications for society. The Recommendation proposes several specific measures to be implemented by the Member States and the Commission to limit the spread of resistance to antimicrobial agents.

The Presidency Conclusions of the Göteborg European Council noted in particular the Commission's intention to present by the end of 2001 Action Plans for tackling issues related to outbreaks of infectious diseases and resistance to antibiotics.

It is recommended that the Member States report to the Commission on the implementation of this Recommendation within two years of its adoption and subsequently on request by the Commission with a view to contributing to its follow-up at Community level and acting as appropriate in the context of the programmes of action in the field of public health.

"THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

11. Invites the Member States to

The Council held a discussion on bioterrorism, in the light of which the Presidency drew the following conclusions:

4. The following guidelines could be followed:

· Promote the development of vaccines, medicines and treatments.

The Presidency gave the Council a progress report on food safety and the establishment of a European Food Authority, on which the European Parliament intends to give its second-reading Opinion at its plenary part-session in December.

The proposal for a Regulation lays down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishes the European Food Authority and lays down procedures in matters of food safety. Its purpose is to assure a high level of protection of human life and health in the implementation of Community policies.

The aim is to adopt the instrument rapidly in order to establish the new European Food Authority by the beginning of 2002 in accordance with the mandate of the Nice European Council ratified at the Stockholm European Council.

The Council was informed by the Commission of the forthcoming publication of its Scientific Steering Committee's opinion on electromagnetic fields.

The Council took note of the forthcoming submission by the Commission of an evaluation report on the functioning of Council Directive 93/42/EEC concerning medical devices.

It will be remembered that, on the occasion of the Health Council in June 2000, the Belgian delegation had proposed that such an evaluation be made following the discovery of a defective batch of a hospital antiseptic (Cidex case).

The Council studied the implications of the recent judgments by the Court of Justice (Geraets-Smits and Peerbooms cases) concerning the conditions under which patients may receive treatment in another Member State, and in particular the repercussions for national social security systems and medical and hospital services.

The Council expressed its wish to hold a detailed discussion on this subject and welcomed the Spanish delegation's invitation to discuss this topic at the informal meeting scheduled during its Presidency (Malaga, February 2002). The Council took note of the Commission's intention to rapidly submit a report on the impact of the Court's judgments.

Following the political decision taken by the Council on 29 October 2001 to open consultations with Zimbabwe under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, the Council approved the text of a letter to be sent to the Zimbabwean authorities formally inviting them to participate in the consultations.

The Council adopted a Decision extending and amending Decision 1999/730/CFSP concerning a European Union contribution to combating the destabilising accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons in Cambodia.

The European Union's continued contribution until 15 November 2002 is part of the follow-up to the Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects adopted by the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in all its Aspects (New York, 9 to 20 July 2001). The Union delegation should encourage other donors to support the drive to reduce and control small arms and light weapons and, where appropriate, allow the implementation of joint projects with other donors.

The Council adopted a Decision authorising the Commission to negotiate, for the European Community, an agreement with Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia on the extension of the common communications network/common systems interface (CCN/CSI) to each of them.

The Council adopted a Regulation on the detailed rules for applying Article 12(2) of the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Principality of Andorra.

It sets out detailed rules on granting the preferential rate for the export to Andorra of manufactured tobacco products covered by headings 24.02 and 24.03 of the Harmonised System, together with the certificate to be produced for that purpose.

The Council approved the suspension of customs duties on certain ECSC products in 2002 requested by

The Council adopted a Regulation amending the autonomous duty for garlic in the common customs tariff.

The Regulation amends the autonomous duty for garlic in the common customs tariff, following the recent agreement with Argentina pursuant to Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

On 2 May 2000, the Council authorised the Commission to notify the WTO that the European Community intended to amend the bound tariff for garlic and that it was prepared to open negotiations and consultations with WTO Members in accordance with Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994.

The Council adopted a Decision authorising the automatic renewal or continuation in force of provisions governing matters covered by the common commercial policy contained in the friendship, trade and navigation treaties and trade agreements concluded between Member States and third countries.

The Council adopted a Decision on the signing of the Agreement for scientific and technological (S/T) cooperation between the European Community and the Republic of India. The Agreement defines the principles, areas and detailed procedures for S/T cooperation between the EC and India.

An EC-India Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development was signed in 1993. The EC and India are pursuing specific research and technological development programmes in areas of common interest. On the basis of past experience, both sides have expressed a desire to establish a deeper and broader framework for the conduct of scientific and technological collaboration.

On 30 July 2001, the Commission submitted to the Council a proposal for a Council Decision on the signing of the Agreement, which had been negotiated on the basis of negotiating directives adopted by the Council on 12 February 2001 and initialled on 21 March 2001. When the Agreement has been signed, its conclusion will be subject to a subsequent Council decision.

The Council adopted a Regulation on the conclusion of two Agreements in the form of Exchanges of Letters by which the two Parties decided to extend for two consecutive periods, from 1 May 2001 to 31 July 2001 and from 1 August 2001 to 31 December 2001, the current Protocol establishing the fishing opportunities off the coast of Senegal and financial compensation.

On 13 November 2001 the Council adopted the following Resolution by the written procedure:

"The Council:

________________________

Footnotes:

( 1) OJ C 86, 24.3.2000, p. 1.

( 2) OJ C 371 of 23.12.2000, p. 2.