Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-13-Speech-2-292"
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"en.20010213.12.2-292"2
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"Mr President, I should like to thank Mrs Emilia Franziska Müller for her patience with me for making her job a lot more difficult than it might otherwise have been. Quite truthfully, a lot of what Mr Titford said resonated very strongly with me. I took some persuading that a directive such as this was necessary at all. I finally accept that, for example, in relation to oil-soluble vitamins there is a case to be made in terms of safety. But having scoured medical literature and asked colleagues to point out to me the scientific and medical evidence, I cannot find examples of people who have overdosed or killed themselves with vitamin C and various others.
Commissioner, as one of the busiest commissioners it is a matter of some fascination to me that this particular directive should come out of the pile, given the workload you have. I cannot understand the priority it has been given, but I accept that there is a general need to have harmonisation at upper safe levels. Basically we must be driven by informed consumer choice and safety. We must assume that the intelligence quotient of the average European citizen is reasonable. We must desist from getting into the ‘nanny state’ frame of mind. Dare I suggest that the next directive – seeing as you are in this mode at the moment, Commissioner – should be a directive on bedtime. When we get up in the morning can we go to bed at night? There seems to be a need to direct our lives, to minimise risks and to tell us what to do. Please do not take me seriously but I really am frustrated with the way we are headed.
Points made in relation to the physiological effects must be reinstated. I appeal through the President to my colleague to look at this again. I am quite upset at the way the oral amendment was bounced. I do not want to be told that I cannot take fibre, garlic, cranberry juice or folic acid, if I happen to be pregnant. I do not want my life regulated to that extent. It brings the Commission and the European project into disrepute with citizens who are otherwise not Eurosceptic at all. I appeal to you to get the balance right. It is most important."@en1
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