Examination of Witnesses (Questions 460
- 465)
THURSDAY 27 MARCH 2008
Dr Adamos Adamou and Ms Anna Pavlou
Q460 Baroness Young of Hornsey:
You mean what you were saying in answer to my last question covers
that. Is that what you are saying?
Dr Adamou: Yes.
Q461 Chairman: Some of our
witnesses have suggested that the EU would be well placed because
it has a wider pool of people of different groupings to undertake
socio-demographic and cultural research to show why and how you
do what you have been describing and what it is that helps to
get to these groups. Do you think the EU could contribute to that
research or do you think people should just get on and get to
their communities?
Dr Adamou: You can coordinate the effort. That
is the only thing you can do, coordinate and give guidelines.
Otherwise you cannot interfere with the Member States; the Member
States should understand what to do. The Commission and the Council
and everybody, let us say screening for cancer—I am taking
cancer because I have a great expertise in this—everybody
knows that screening saves lives. The Commission is just giving
recommendations; it cannot force the Member States to implement
a programme. They can say these programme save lives if they are
implemented, the same as with public awareness, just give guidelines
and information to Member States and ask them to implement and
to come together.
Q462 Baroness Young of Hornsey:
It is a slightly different question. If I could give you an example
of what I mean, let us say that in this country, for argument's
sake, that members of the Greek Cypriot community in North London
are not giving organs at the same rate as neighbouring and other
communities and yet maybe we would find out that in Cyprus there
is this big willingness to give organs. What we are suggesting
is that it would be very useful for us to know what the differences
are across the different Member States within different communities
as to what really is the barrier preventing some people giving
their organs.
Dr Adamou: Different cultures, different religions,
different deep roots where they come from. You mentioned the Cypriot
community but Cyprus would have a problem with dead donors; we
are the last on the list, but we are the first for the living
donors. This is the culture but it is not happening in other Member
States. Can we take this practice and try to implement another
one? No, we cannot do this. The only thing we can do is to raise
public awareness to find common guidelines based on different
things, not cultural, not religious, because people are suffering
commonly from these diseases. Of course, we have to respect the
religions and the cultures for other Member States but when we
come to health and to measures that you will take to eliminate
the disease or deaths coming from this disease, then I think everybody
must be united. That is why this is the work of the Commission,
to coordinate the Member States even if they have a different
culture or a different religion.
Q463 Baroness Young of Hornsey:
Obviously the coordination is absolutely important, but I think
what has been suggested in the past by other witnesses is that
we do not actually have enough information and evidence about
what the differences are and what is driving that. Could the EU
make a contribution by funding some key research in this area?
Ms Pavlou: That is what Mr Adamou said. You
could help us collect all this information and make extensive
research within the Member States to see first of all what discrepancies
exist within the Member States, within which communities, which
communities have lower levels, which communities have higher levels.
Coming back to the point you said about the Greek Cypriot community
in North London not wanting to donate to the other communities,
this happens quite often. Many people say that they do not want
their organ to go to X, Y or Z but by raising awareness and giving
information we are trying to promote equality and equity. The
organ will go to the person who needs it, not to a person who
needs it less but fits the idea of the donor. Obviously this is
very hard to balance in some cases.
Q464 Chairman: I am sorry
but we have run out of time, in fact we have run over because
we are so interested in what you have been saying. Just for the
record to clarify that last point, it seems to me that you are
saying that there is some role for the EU in terms of exchanging
information and coordination. Certainly we have felt that we have
learned already a lot from other countries in this hearing. You
are saying that when it comes to interference in relation to the
delivery of the services that the EU does not have a role. Do
I have the distinction clear?
Ms Pavlou: Yes. It cannot interfere within the
decisions of the Member States unfortunately. It can try to coordinate,
it can try to set minimum levels but it will not come to the UK
and tell you that you have to do something about your communities
that do not want to donate. It is up to the UK to try to raise
awareness and raise the levels.
Q465 Chairman: We are immensely
grateful. We do think we are travelling along the same road. I
was just trying to work out where our report would come in relation
to your report. Although we are reporting obviously to our Government
we do send copies to the Commission and you might well find that
what we are supporting will be very helpful. We have certainly
found your evidence extremely helpful and we wish you a safe journey
home.
Dr Adamou: Thank you very much. I want to state
here that as soon as we are back in Brussels and the report is
ready after the voting yesterday, we will send you a copy and
of course, in April we will send you the copy of the Plenary Session
so that you will have the final results of what the European Parliament
thinks about this. Thank you very much for accepting me here;
it was a great pleasure.
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