31996Y1211(01)

COUNCIL RESOLUTION of 12 November 1996 on a strategy towards blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community (96/C 374/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

RECALLING the Commission communication of 25 May 1993 on self-sufficiency in blood in the European Community and the Council conclusions of 13 December 1993 (1);

RECALLING the Commission's communication of 21 December 1994 on blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community and the Council resolution of 2 June 1995 (2);

TAKES NOTE of the resolution of 14 July 1995 of the European Parliament on blood safety in the European Union (3);

TAKES NOTE of the resolution of 17 April 1996 of the European Parliament on the communication from the Commission on blood safety and self-sufficiency in the European Community (4);

ACKNOWLEDGES the work of the Council of Europe in the blood transfusion area;

TAKES NOTE of the conclusions and recommendations agreed unanimously by the colloquium on blood safety and self-sufficiency held at Adare, Ireland, on 4 to 6 September 1996;

RECALLS that these conclusions and recommendations take account of the meeting of experts on public awareness relating to blood, held in Rome in April 1996;

AGREES that the conclusions and recommendations of the Adare colloquium provide for concrete steps in order to realize the strategy called for in previous resolutions towards promoting blood safety, in particular to reinforce trust and confidence in the safety of the blood-transfusion chain, and towards promoting self-sufficiency in the Community;

REITERATES that Community self-sufficiency must be based on the principle of voluntary and unpaid blood donations;

REQUESTS that steps be taken to ensure that rapid progress is made in taking forward this work;

Accordingly:

- INVITES the Member States to review their policies, procedures and programmes aimed at ensuring the safety of the blood-transfusion chain in the light of the conclusions and recommendations of the Adare colloquium on blood safety and self-sufficiency, towards achieving the objectives set out in this resolution,

- INVITES the Commission to submit proposals as a matter of urgency in support of the actions of the Member States, with a view to encouraging the development of a coordinated approach to the safety of blood and blood products, taking into account the aforementioned resolutions and using the conclusions and recommendations of the Adare colloquium on blood safety and self-sufficiency as a basis for its work.

(1) OJ No C 15, 18. 1. 1994, p. 6.

(2) OJ No C 164, 30. 6. 1995, p. 1.

(3) OJ No C 249, 25. 9. 1995, p. 231.

(4) OJ No C 141, 13. 5. 1996, p. 131.