Food supplements: approximation of the laws of the Member States

The committee adopted the draft recommendation for 2nd reading (codecision procedure) by Emilia Franziska MÜLLER (EPP-ED, D) broadly approving the Council's common position subject to some minor changes. One key amendment adopted sought to lengthen the period for the submission of safety dossiers to 36 months (rather than 18 months as stated in the proposal) after the directive's entry into force. MEPs felt the extra time was crucial to give small companies longer to comply with the directive. It should be pointed out that a considerable minority of MEPs from different political groups took the view that the common position should be rejected. They argued that, given the different cultures in the Member States and the fact that an absence of legislation had so far caused no problems, there was no need for a directive in this area. �