THE European Parliament yesterday voted to accept the recommendations of its sub committee on BSE which is highly critical of the EU Commission's handing of the crisis and blames the British government for the spread of the disease.
But the Parliament stopped short of censuring the Commission following concessions made to it by Commission President, Mr Jacques Santer, who promised a new era of openness and to strengthen consumer, food and health policy.
He accepted that the Commission had made mistakes and agreed that the Parliament should have more say in veterinary and other health matters.
A compromise motion of censure, allowing the Commission until next November to get its house in order, was agreed by the main parties in the Parliament and adopted by members.
A motion aimed at censuring the Commission and calling for its immediate dismissal is to be taken later today but it will be easily defeated.
The debate on the BSE report was remarkably low key given that the Parliament was discussing one of the most emotive issues in recent times. Members voted 422 for the adoption of the report, with 49 against. Some 48 members did not vote.
However, the occasion marks a watershed in the relationship between the Parliament and the Commission. The examination of the BSE crisis and its treatment by the Commission took place under the terms of the Maastricht Treaty and the exercise of new powers placed the Commission in some difficulty. It had to compromise with Parliament on issues including its idea of how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should be reformed.
While parliamentarians are claiming a victory over the Commission, privately the Commission says it has conceded little.
Yet MEPs seemed more confident afterwards and feel that what they have done on the BSE issue is repeat able on other issues.
Mr Santer talked about a future with less production led policies, which led the Green Party MEPs to boast of a historic victory. Ms Nuala Ahern, the Leinster Green MEP, described it as revolutionary".
However, this revolution was not that acceptable to Irish members like Mr Liam Hyland, a Fianna Fail Leinster MEP, who warned yesterday that the EU should not hasten into an "ill informed and rushed reform of the CAP".
"We must not allow our understandable concern with public health to unnecessarily undermine the importance of CAP as an essential management support measure for sustainable agriculture."
Many of the Irish members feel the Commission has gone too far with its view of less production driven agriculture but this view was tempered last night by what they see as a victory over the Commission.
There was agreement, however, that the transfer of health safety monitoring from Agriculture to Consumer Affairs would boost employment potential at the EU Veterinary Agency which will be based in Grange, Co Meath.
The Commissioner for Consumer Affairs, Ms Emma Bonino has been given the task of going to Parliament and seeking additional funding for the Grange operation. Her request is likely to be treated favourably.
During the debate, the Connacht MEP, Mr Mark Killilea, demanded an apology from the sub committee to the former Agriculture Commissioner, Mr Ray MacSharry, who, he said, had been treated in a very shoddy way by the report.
Mr Killilea said the leaking of allegations against Mr MacSharr a month before he had a chance to deny them was against natural justice.