DN Debate. The voters must get information about the EU's big success

today, EUROPE is the target of various claims from our prospective mep. The powers of the EU appears to be a watershed in public opinion and is often portrayed as negative and dangerous. What then is true and who is going to defend the EU? The EU and its institutions have the answer but can not say – they are formally only the officials who perform the member states decided. The Swedish politicians have been decided rarely shows any interest in order to explain their influence, then risks are reduced since several areas already managed by the EU.

Voters need to know. Their poor knowledge of the EU is evident in the various polls. Political scientist Magnus Blomgren has in the past on Europa wondered what the respondents shall take a position to because of the lack of debate concerning the Swedish membership of the EU and EU cooperation, issues which according to him, is politically dead. This ignorance run the risk of being a demokratifälla of the election campaign, which neither the benefit of Sweden or the EU.

One of those areas that concerns all of us is consumer safety with the veterinary issues, animal health, animal welfare and food safety. Under the EU's leadership has the support of Sweden developed into a world-class level, but where Sweden, from often have been the leader, now need to make the effort to keep up with the development of the EU.

Among the results, it can be noted that severe disease outbreaks has dramatically decreased and now be combated effectively.

consumer safety as regards the control of the food industry, the Eu's largest and Sweden's fourth line of business. By the treaty of Amsterdam gave the EU in 1997, responsibility for this area with the important sanitary and phytosanitary issues (SPS issues), which is about the measures countries take to protect human, animal and plant life and health from risks related to food, feed, animal diseases or plant pests. The EU is the world's largest exporter and importer of food and agricultural products.

The veterinary field dominates the SPS issues and concerns in the ground control of a broad panorama of infectious diseases, the biggest threat to the availability of safe food – everything from meat, milk, cheese, eggs and fish. To check the most infectious and restrictive diseases did several EU countries in the 1990s, the annual massvaccinationer at a cost of 1 billion sek per year. Vaccinations prevented disease outbreaks, but hid the dreaded contagion. Therefore, it was prohibited to import beef or pork, and delicacies such as parma ham, from several EU-countries to countries which, like Sweden, were free from the diseases. These foods are now staples in our stores. Scenförändringen started in 1993 with the EU's decisions on free movement between the countries of the union, bold and risky for food.

the Success was made possible by simply eradicating the disease, which halted the trade, as many countries do not themselves have done. The way there was compromised, however, by two very large outbreaks of classical swine fever. In addition, an outbreak of foot - and-mouth disease, which only in the united kingdom was estimated to cost 8 billion pounds.

Audits showed that the campaign was due to the member states ' shortcomings – they were responsible then for disease control. The same thing appeared during the fight against mad cow disease. In the serious situation which then prevailed so it was necessary to let the EU take command. The decision was preceded, interestingly, not of any particular political debate in Sweden or other EU countries. The decision was not toothless – it was followed by a more rapid rate with 84 steps effectively carried out.

Among the results can first be noted that serious disease outbreaks has dramatically decreased and now be combated effectively. Research efforts have created new methods of control and diagnostics is ensured by the reference laboratories. An elegant process has created trust between the member states, inter alia, for decisions on when to trade after a disease outbreak in a risk-free can be resumed.

the EU's new djurhälsolag (2016) focuses on the prevention of the common diseases in livestock farming. It improves animal welfare and reduces the use of antibiotics that are now documented in the majority of countries – necessary to reduce the problem of antibiotic resistance. The EU runs the successful issues in the past by several member states was considered insignificant, as the protection and control of salmonella.

A new law on food (2002) marked a paradigm shift for food control. The new food safety authority (EFSA), with the eight scientific panels, has become a guarantor of that decision is evidence-based and not founded in policy or plain facts. Imports to the EU takes place at selected locations with the effective identification and tracking systems that can also follow the animals and food from the farm to the consumer. Recently we got to experience the effectiveness of the system when the illegally slaughtered animals in Poland fast-tracked to the individual restaurants in Sweden. Most important is perhaps, however, a newly created inspektionsmyndighet (FVO), which ensures that member states fulfil their obligations – the result is displayed openly on the web.

After various senior positions and assignments within the veterinary SPS-area, inter alia, in Sweden and the EU both before and after joining the EU, I want to argue that consumer safety in the EU reached a world leading level, which also led to a significant strengthening of the Swedish consumers, and of our veterinary infrastructure. We are now actively participating in an enriching european cooperation and have access to EU collective expertise, which we as a small country cannot do without. We can influence the development of the whole of the EU when our expertise and our argument is sustainable.

Marit Paulsens (L) stakes in the EU-parliament is a political showcase. If we want to increase our influence we need to strengthen our presence in the key EU-commission. Our government also needs to push for more swedes on the commission's sought after and ruling positions, which is of course a matter for other EU countries. Sweden can't just rest on your laurels when the whole of the EU going forward. We need new efforts in areas where we had previously been leading. It is time to leave the supply chain fragmented agency structure where the same authorities, in addition to both check and promote the farm and why not take the lessons of the political and executive action which the EU is shown here.

it would be surprising if our government in other areas would not be enriched by the EU's accumulated experience and expertise, and professional leadership. It need not cause anxiety but can be seen as an exciting opportunity and probably a necessary development in Sweden.