Brussels, 24/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - One week after their informal meeting devoted to the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) EU agriculture ministers will again meet in Brussels on Monday 27 September to discuss a number of important and sensitive issues: genetically modified organisms, measures to be taken in the milk sector and the food distribution scheme for the least well-off. Under “Other business”, the Council will debate the situation on the cereals market. Only one fisheries item - but certainly not a minor one - will be discussed: the issue of mackerel in the North-East Atlantic, after Iceland and the Faroe Islands allocated themselves massive quotas.
Over lunch, ministers will hold an exchange of views on financing animal health policy.
GMOs. Before the Environment Council discusses this issue, on which it is the lead body, agriculture ministers will give their opinion on the European Commission proposal leaving it to member states to decide whether to ban GM crops which have been authorised at EU level. On 13 July 2010, following a formal request from Hungary supported by 11 other member states, the Commission proposed a new GMO package comprising a communication, a new recommendation on the co-existence of genetically modified crops with conventional and organic farming and a legislative proposal amending Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment. The new recommendation on co-existence allows member states greater flexibility in the evelopment of national co-existence measures and allows them to define GM-free areas. Directive 2001/18/EC would be amended to include an Article allowing member states to restrict or prohibit the cultivation in all or part of their territory of GMOs authorised at European level. This restriction should be based on grounds other than those related to the adverse effect on health and environment and must be in conformity with the Treaties. The Agriculture Council will have an exchange of views on the basis of the following questions: What economic impact and what consequences for the internal market are these Commission proposals likely to have and what steps need to be taken to ensure that the Commission proposals comply with WTO rules and internal market rules?
Milk. Ministers will try to reach agreement on conclusions to follow up on the expert recommendations on the measures to be taken in the milk sector (see EUROPE 10220). In direct response to the crisis in the dairy sector in 2009, the Commission set up a High Level Group on Milk in October of that year to consider the measures needed in the sector in the medium and long term, given that quotas are due to end on 1 April 2015. The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers accepts that it will be virtually impossible to get adoption of Council conclusions on this issue, with positions being irreconcilable on a number of important areas. The text will probably be adopted as “Presidency conclusions”, supported by most member states. EU countries are deeply divided on the need for adjustment or clarification of competition rules to enhance producers' bargaining power. The Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Czech Republic are against any move in this direction, unlike France, Spain and others. On market measures, a group of countries (including the Netherlands, Italy, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom) oppose the draft text seeking to retain or even modernise market instruments. The European Commission will present its quarterly report on the situation in the milk and dairy market which will show that prices are improving slowly.
Help for the least well-off. The Commission will present a revised proposal on amendment of the scheme to distribute food to the most deprived persons in the EU (see EUROPE 10217).
Measures in outermost regions. Ministers will hold an exchange of views following a presentation by the Commission of a proposal for a regulation laying down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost region of the EU (see related article). The Commission will also present the first report on the effects of the 2006 reform of the Programme of Options Specifically Relating to Remoteness and Insularity (POSEI) regime. Regulation 247/2006 lays down specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union. Since 1991, Agriculture in the outermost regions of the European Union (EU) has benefited from POSEI, the aim of which is to allow specific measures for the implementation of the common agricultural policy that take into consideration the geographical and economic disadvantages of these regions. POSEI agricultural measures are divided into two main categories: the first relates to the supply of products which are essential for human consumption, for processing or as agricultural inputs. The second is concerned with specific support measures for the production and marketing of local agricultural products.
Mackerel. The Commission would like to sound out member states on the very sensitive issue of management of mackerel stocks in the North-East Atlantic, a matter which concerns the EU, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway, before the traditional negotiations among coastal states on bilateral fisheries agreements begin in October. In 2010, there was no agreement among coastal states on mackerel stocks, so the Faroe Islands unilaterally allocated itself a quota of 85,000 tonnes and Iceland took 130,000 tonnes for itself. According to scientific opinion, then, mackerel is being overfished. The EU is adamant that the previous allocation structure (which dates from 1999 and expired in 2009) should continue to obtain. This would give the EU more or less two thirds of the total allowable catch (some 300,000 tonnes, with half of that allocated to the United Kingdom).
European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki will ask countries: - if they agree that an agreement with the coastal states should be concluded to settle the issue; - if so, if they are prepared to concede access to Icelandic and Faroese vessels allowing them to fish some or all of their quotas in EU waters; - if, in the event of a breakdown in negotiations, member states would agree to give up bilateral agreements with Iceland and the Faroe Islands (this would be a sanction). The Commission will report on the meetings it had with Iceland a few days ago and with the Faroe Islands last week. These two countries maintain their demand for an increase in quotas, pointing out that there are huge numbers of mackerel in their waters.
Cereals, tomatoes, BSE monitoring. Under “Other business”, the following issues will be discussed: - Hungary will ask for the temporary provision on state aid allowing support of up to €15,000 to be granted to farms to be extended for a year, until the end of 2011; - Poland will raise the issue of the impact on the pork meat sector of the situation on the cereals market, and Greece will call for measures to stabilise that market (see EUROPE 10221); - Italy will argue for arrangements to help Community processed tomato producers deal with competition from imported tomato concentrates from (especially) China (Italian minister Giancarlo Galan will call on the Commission to implement labelling indicating the origin to help Community production cope with the competition); - Latvia will ask the Commission to speed up procedures so that its Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) monitoring programme can be relaxed with effect from January of next year. (L.C./transl.rt)