Brussels, 19/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - In a press release, the European Parliament rapporteur on resistance to anti-infective agents, French Green member Didier Rod, regrets that the health ministers have not taken into account the Parliament's proposals aimed at establishing a global strategy to combat resistance. "Even if the procedure does not require formal consultation of the EP, there must be democracy", noted Mr Rod, who added: "The European Parliament is not just a recording chamber. It represents citizens!". Mr Rod deplores the fact that the Council is content with adopting a recommendation, with no binding provisions and which only partially covers the fight against increasing resistance to anti-microbial agents, excluding the use of antibiotics in the agri-food and phytosanitary sectors. He also stressed that the recommendation fails to tackle certain causes for the propagation of resistance, mainly the use of antibiotics as a prevention and antibiotics for local use, supplied without prescription.