

French Minister Lefebvre to EuroFora: E. coli ao. Alerts need Updated+Careful Info for EU Consumers

Questioned by "EuroFora" on the on-going Food poisoning E. coli bacterium deadly outbreak, which suddenly bombarded Germany with strange, never seen before, Genetically altered bacteria provoking grave Health disorders, (custitis, internal hemorragy, etc), whose origin and cause still remains a Mystery, with hypothesis changing each Day, while errors cost Hundreds of Millions € to several EU Countries' Agriculture, French Minister for Consumers and Trade, Frederic Lefebvre, stressed that, in such cases, Infos provided to EU Consumer should be regularly updated each Day and even Hour, while also being "very careful", as he said.
Lefebvre had just inaugurated the "European Consumers' Centre" at Kehl (Germany) near Strasbourg, together with other French and German Politicians and Officials, including his President, experienced EU Parliament's Budget Committee's Chairman, MEP Alain Lamassoure, former Minister for EU affairs, which gave them an occasion to speak about the information which needs to be disseminated and made available vis a vis EU Citizens, among whom about 700.000 take the initiative to contact the ECC's website each year (according to the latest 2010 data).

Timely, the event occured the same Day (Monday evening) that EU Parliament hosted a "Trialogue" between MEPs, EU Commission and EU Council's Member States, trying up to Midnight to find an agreement on a New EU Directive on Services, focused this time mainly on "On-Line Commerce", and at the eve of the 1st Public Debate on the E. coli outbreak, due on Tuesday, (at the same time that competent EU Ministers are to meet at nearby Luxembourg).
--------------------
- "In such an area, the Method we want is that of a Perfect Coordination and Sharing of Infos at a European level, while also ensuring, naturally, that this ameliorates Consumers' Information, and that info is regularly updated. Because in such issues, each Day, even Hours, the situation may change : (In such kind of Urgencies) there are moments on which we might not know yet what to say, there are others when a rumour heads towards one direction, while at another moment, this might prove to be false, needing to start exploring another track, etc. Therefore, we must be very Careful", replied to "EuroFora" Minister Lefebvre.
But, in general, - "I clearly made a Distinction between the European Consumers Center's action, and the Topical issue that you raised", he observed in reply to "EuroFora"s question on the "E.coli outbreak.
- "Because , even if its (ECC's) spirit, method and voluntarism in coordination, in working together, is exemplary in Europe, nevertheless, we must not confuse between differend (various) competenses (jurisdictions) : When we have to do with Security Alerts, the ECC is not destinated to play the role of the (f.ex. Health, Food, etc.) Public Authorities which manage the Urgencies", he warned.
- Nevertheless, "I'd like to pay homage to ECC's Method, which can be useful also in issues such as (Sanitary, Food or other) Alerts", Lefebvre ensured in conclusion.
-------------
+ For ECC's President, the experienced MEP Alain Lamassoure, Chairman of the powerful EU Parliament's Budgets Committee, and former Minister for EU affairs, in this, as also in other affairs, - "We must clearly distinguish between the Expertise level, and the level of Information", as he said :
- "F.ex., in a case such as that of the Icelandic Volcano's Ashes, it's not for the European Consumers' Center to say wheher these Volcano's Ashes were really dangerous for Airplanes, or not. But, once it was found that there was a number of passengers blocked who received financial compensation, then, ECC's role and that of the whole network, was to provide the same level of Informations to all passengers, helping them to have the same level of financial compensation", he pointed out.
- Now, "the same goes when there is a problem of Health Security", as with E. coli today : "It's not for the European Consumers' Centre to say whether a Bacterie comes from Soja, or Concumbers, or anything else. But, once that we shall have the Analysis' Results, then, the Network must be set up and ensure that all EU Consumers have a possibility to be informed in equaly good conditions", he concluded.
------------------------------

For Martine Merigau, ECC's sympathetic and active Director, (honoured today with the distinction of "Chevalier de la Republique", by decision of French President Sarkozy, through his former Head of staff and now Minister Lefebvre : Comp. Merigau's previous statements to "EuroFora"s co-founder also on various other EU Consumers issues in the Past, f.ex. on Airplanes, etc), among various other ECC's "Projects" currently prepares is also that to create a kind of "On-line Mediator" who might provide accurate and updated info to EU Consumers and other interested parties potentially 24/24, 7/7, etc.
But, at least for the moment, the distinction made by Minister Lefebvre and MEP Lamassoure, in reply to "EuroFora"s question on the current Health/Food Alert about a Genetically Altered E. coli Bacteria, (which, apparently, stems from earlier than March 2011, since a contaminated set with a Date limit of April 2011 was reportedly found at the Home of one of the Victims in Germany), has not yet reached the level of an ECC-related EU Consumers' Info, because; curiously, still until today, no clear results appeared, neither at the European Consumers Center at Kehl, nor at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, neither at EU Ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, while Berlin's German Government Authorities are reportedly still searching to find out the truth about the origin and what has caused this new type of spreading deadly bacteria, who obviously cought the whole EU by surprise...
(NDLR : DraftNews, as already sent to "EuroFora"s Susbcribers/Donors. A more complete and accurate Final Public Version is due asap).
***
Main Menu
Home Press Deontology/Ethics 2009 Innovation Year EU endorses EuroFora's idea Multi-Lingual FORUM Subscribers/Donors FAQs Advanced search EuroFora supports Seabird newsitems In Brief European Headquarters' MAPs CoE Journalists Protection PlatformBRIEF NEWS
- 00:00 - 02.06.2021
- 00:00 - 18.10.2020
- 00:00 - 19.06.2020
- 00:00 - 18.05.2020
- 00:00 - 20.04.2020
- 00:00 - 02.02.2020
- 00:00 - 09.12.2019
- 00:00 - 27.11.2019
- 00:00 - 16.11.2019
Popular
- Yes, we could have prevented Ferguson riots says World Democracy Forum's Young American NGO to ERFRA
- Spanish People Elect CenterRIGHT Majority with 1st Party and Total of 178 MPs (6 More than the Left)
- Pflimlin's vision
- The European Athletic "Dream Team", after Barcelona 2010 Sport Championship Results
- Source Conseil d'Europe à ERFRA: Debatre Liberté d'Opposants à Loi livrant Mariage+Enfants à Homos ?
- Head of BioEthics InterGroup, MEP Peter Liese : "Embryonic stem cell research reaching its END" !?
- Spain: Jailed Turkish Terror suspect with Explosive,Drones,Chechen accomplices stirs Merah+ Burgas ?
- UN Head Ban Ki Moon at CoE World Democracy Forum : - "Listen to the People !"
Latest News
- EUOmbudsmen Conference 2022: Digital Gaps affect People's Trust threaten EF Project on EU Future ?
- French Election : Black Out on Virus, but Obligation for Fake 'Vaccines" Challenged
- Both French Presidential Candidates point at "Humanism" in crucial times...
- France : Zemmour = Outsider may become Game Changer in Presidential + Parliamentary Elections 2022
- PACE President Cox skips Turkey Worst (Occupation) case compared to Russia (DeMilitarisation) query
Statistics
Visitors: 59486564Archive
Login Form
Other Menu
The recent paradox of freezing EU Talks with front-runner Croatia, while continuing controversial EU - Turkey talks, despite Zagreb's acceptance of Refugees' Human Rights to return, that Ankara refuses fex. in Cyprus, while both have "Good Neighborhood" problems vis a vis Slovenia, or Greece, Cyprus and Armenia respectively, can it be justified by the non-fullfilment of EU criteria, as Slovenia says, or, is it "Double Standards" ?
The question became unavoidable after statements by Presidents of Slovenia and Croatia, Tuerk and Mesic, respectively, to "EuroFora", exclusively or among Strasbourg's journalists this week at the CoE, on the sidelines of its 2009 Summer University for Political Schools, which topically brought them together as successive key-note speakers.
Comming only a few Months before EU checks Turkey's compliance to its commitments on Cyprus, etc., scheduled for December 2009, this obviously has a special importance for the coherence of EU Enlargement's principles.
Suspension of EU Negotiations is a normal consequence in case of a Candidate Country's failure to fullfil EU Conditions, such as "Good Neighborhood relations", stressed at first Slovenian President Danilo Tuerk, current CoE's chair.
But, regarding EU's Criteria, there shouldn't be any "Double Standards", reacted Croatian President Stjepan Mesic, commenting the fact that Turkey's controversial EU negotiations continue, while they were recently "freezed" in the case of Croatia, an "unquestionably European Country", which oficially accepts to respect Refugees Human Rights, contrary to Ankara's notorious refusals or reluctance.

Questioned earlier what "consequences on EU's Enlargement policy" can have the "Ban on EU Membership Negotiations", imposed to Croatia, Tuerk replied that "this question comes down to the fulfillement of (EU) Criteria for membership. One has to look at each Candidate Country ., from the point of view whether it fullfils the Criteria that EU has set. One of them are Good Neighborhood Relations, I'd like to remind. And also, there are other factors, such as Justice, Home affairs, Rule of Law, and others".
- "Now, ..Candidate Countries are at Different Levels of fulfillement of Criteria", he observed.
- " Croatia is obviously the closest to that. I'm rather optimistic : I think that in the coming Months we'll have an opportunity to look at all these issues constructively and hopefully we'll be able to make progress". "My main concern, at this point, is the situation in Bosnia : We haven't seen enough progres domesticaly. We haven't seen enough during ..political parties within their country.We need a New Energy, a new energetic move towards the Candidature for EU membership. "Other (Western Balkan) Countries (Serbia, Montenegro, FYROM, Albania) have been making soaring Progress, and I think that they should be ready, in a few Years, for the Candidate status".
- "As far as the Western Balkans are concerned, .. nobody should be left outside" the EU, Slovenian's President concluded, ommitting to mention Turkey's controversial EU bid.
- "This process may be seen as Slow, but.. Slovenia has also has also been exposed to various "Booms of Slowness" in our accession period. But now we can say that the process was relatively quick, because changes which occur after becoming EU member, are quite large, and they require proper Preparations before the (EU) membership becomes a new factor, an impacting line for a new (EU) member country".
----------------------------
EU "Solidarity" ?
------------------------------
Slovenian statements made some participants from certain 3rd Countries as FYROM, etc. claim that "the Principle of EU Solidarity" would "produce a.. rising European Union Nationalism (sic !), against Non-EU Countries", as they said, asking unhappy foreign countries to form a "bloc" to exert pressure on the EU...
But Croatian President Stjepan Mesic dismissed that, supporting "EU Integration", "after the Economy also in Political" issues, as "the achievement" of our times. In EU there is "diversity, but it's United", he stressed, "EU has to be United so that it can become a central factor of Peace" also at the surrounding areas, he replied.
Speaking later exclusively to "EuroFora", the experienced twice President of Croatia, former President of the International "Non-Aligned" movement, denounced "Double Standards" in the way EU treats recently Croatia compared to Turkey :
- "I think that there shouldn't be Double Standards", stressed the Croatian President, in reply to a Question comparing the freeze of EU - Croatia talks, with the continuation of EU - Turkey talks, despite the fact that Croatia is an "unquestionably European country", while Turkey's EU bid is notoriously controversial.
Mesic was reacting to the observation that, even if he confirmed his "respect of Refugees' Human Rights to return, etc. (See infra), nevertheless, EU talks are suspended with Croatia.. While for oher, controversial candidates, who refuse to respect Refugees' Rights to return, etc., as fex. Turkey does in occupied Cyprus and elsewhere, EU negotiations continue".
- "I believe that Croatia's accession will confirm that all European Countries who fulfill all of the Conditions and achieve European Standards, have to join the EU. There shouldn't be any Double Standards", went on to add in reply President Mesic.
In this relation, Croatia's President found "of paramount importance", CoE's "mechanisms enforcing ECHR's judgements"
- "On Refugees and Displaced persons, the process will be completed only after the last person demanding to return will be allowed to do so !", President Mesic Croatia stressed earlier, setting a general standard of obvious importance also for otherr candidates, as f.ex. Turkey, often accused to exclude or heavily restrict Greek Cypriot Displaced persons' return to their Family Homes and ancestral land, provoke difficulties to Turkish-Kurd IDPs return to their home regions at the South-East, etc.
Some "2.000 People are still reported Missing" in former Yugoslavia, for some Years, (as in Cyprus, modern Europe's oldest case, for 3 Decades. Nagorno-Karabach, Tcecnya in Russia, etc, more recently), and Investigations "will only be completed after establishing the fate of the last one of them", he added.
Speaking earlier on "War Crimes", President Mesic stressed that "Leaders are responsible for (the) Wars (of the Past), not the People", and called against Impunity : "Individuals have to be held Responsible for Crimes. International Penal Tribunals have to persecute those individuals", perpetrators of War Crimes, he underlined.
Such statements naturally made Mesic rather popular at ECHR, whose President, French EuroJudge, Professor Jean-Paul Costa, looked particularly smiling when he welcomed him later on Wednesday afternoon, after Slovenian President Daniko Tuerk earlier this week.