Strasbourg, 19/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - The EU Council should still adopt before the end of the year a resolution specifying its approach in the use of the precautionary principal, asserted the European Parliament, when approving the report by the French Socialist Beatrice Patrie on the European Commission Communication on the issue. The Parliament wants clear guidelines on the enforcement of this principal, which should be invoked each time one must reasonably be concerned of the possible risks for human, animal and plant health, due to the uncertain or incomplete nature of scientific knowledge available. The Parliament invites the Commission to "emphasise this approach at the level of international bodies, and notably in the WTO", and asserts that the dispute settlement body in the WTO must, in the future, undertake an assessment of the studies and scientific expertise available in this matter at the time of its decision. By adopting an amendment from the Greens Inger Schorling and Patricia McKenna, the Parliament calls for the strengthening of the legal force of the notion of precaution "in order to make it a provision of international law", while until now the reference to this notion in several international agreements only gives it "a value of custom in international law". In the trade disputes, such as that on hormone beef, the use of the precautionary principal is "vital", stated the British Green Caroline Lucas.
In its very details 39 point resolution, the Parliament indicates its desires concerning: - the definition and scope of the precautionary principal; - the assessment, management and "communication" of risks (the EP insists on informing the "greater public" as transparently and completely as possible); - the burden of proof. The Swedish Green Inger Schorling welcomed the adoption of her amendment that calls for the Member States to impose stricter standards than those applied at the EU level; but in her opinion the text adopted by the Parliament is "much more restrictive and poses many more conditions" than the conclusions of the Nice Summit on the precautionary principal.