Brussels, 30/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - Dacian Cioloº, European Agriculture Commissioner, discussed the 2011 legislative programme in the agricultural sphere with members of the European Parliament's agriculture committee in Brussels on Tuesday 28 September.
Future of CAP. On 17 November, the Commission is to adopt a communication on the common agricultural policy (CAP) after 2013, which will open a period of public consultation. Legislative proposals on CAP in the post-2013 period are due to be adopted by the Commission in July 2011. Cioloº refused all comment on the content of the 17 November communication. He hinted, however, that it was necessary to keep a constant budget in place for CAP after 2013, given the challenges to be raised and the missions assigned to agriculture.
Milk package. Proposals on the milk and dairy products sector should be adopted in December. The aim is to provide farmers with the instruments required so that they may prepare for milk quotas in 2015. “Such instruments will make it possible to give producers prospects and stability so that they may continue to invest and have confidence in the future”, Cioloº said. The commissioner went on to speak of: - enhanced negotiating power for producers, strengthened professional organisations, contractualisation, and a clearer role for inter-branch organisations and market transparency (with regard to price and quantities). The question of crisis management instruments will be tackled in the context of the debates on the future of the CAP after 2013, the commissioner said in answer to a question raised by Albert Dess (EPP, Germany).
Quality policy. The Commission is expected to adopt its proposal on quality policy in early December. This policy must: - give clarity on the use of PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication); - reinforce TSGs (Traditional Specialities Guaranteed); - and contain new elements: labelling of local production and a system for the marketing of mountain products. It would also be necessary to “create the possibility of ensuring an indication of the place of production”, Dacian Cioloº assured, in response to a question put to him by Lorenzo Fontana (EFD, Italy).
Legislative alignment. The commissioner underlined how important it was to keep to schedule when bringing legislation into line with the Lisbon Treaty (codecision). He undertook to present texts by the end of the year on regulations at the core of the CAP - single and common market organisation (CMO), CAP financing, direct payments and rural development. This alignment exercise will cover the period from 2010 to 2012.
Letter to Barroso. The commissioner spoke of the joint letter sent to José Manuel Barroso, signed by himself and three other commissioners (EUROPE 10210) on the strategic guidance framework for the following European funds post-2013: - European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), European Social Fund (ESF), Cohesion Fund, European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). “It is not a question of discarding the rural development programme” in order to create a single European fund for structural action. Each fund will keep its own budget, rules of procedure and objectives. A common strategic framework is being proposed in order to ensure coordination and synergy between these four instruments, the commissioner said, going on to add that rural development policy has its place within the CAP framework but there must be better coordination with the other structural instruments. This, he said, is to avoid having “grey areas” that are not covered by the measures, to avoid overlapping, and to ensure greater effectiveness of implementation for beneficiaries.
Many MEPs expressed frustration as the commissioner had not informed them of the existence of this letter, which was leaked to the press. “I did not inform the press. It was an internal letter putting a proposal to the president, not a decision from the European Commission”, Cioloº said.
Safety net. Answering questions raised by Albert Dess, Dacian Cioloº gave his assurance that he intended to keep the market intervention instruments in place but as a safety net - for cereals, milk and other products.
Rise in cereal prices and speculation. “We are taking a close look at this. We shall not hesitate to use the instruments available to us (…) including the marketing of stocks, by the end of the year” (essentially for barley), Cioloº said in response to a question raised by Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos (S&D, Portugal). The commissioner repeated that he was first of all waiting to have a clear picture of cereal production. He sought to be reassuring, saying: “It is not because of a shortage of cereals that the prices are going up”.
Replying to questions on price volatility and speculation raised in particular by Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany) and José Bové (Greens/EFA, France), Cioloº pointed out that the commissioner for the internal market, Michel Barnier, was planning to present a package of proposals aimed at regulating the financial products and derivatives market to ensure transparency on the markets and avoid speculation. The aim, with egards agricultural raw materials, is to “make order on the way contracts are made to avoid speculation”. José Bové explained that players foreign to the market are the ones who speculate on the cereals market. Thus, “only 7% of transactions concern the actual production”, Bové deplored.
Trade issues. On the subject of Mercosur, the commissioner said he would not put forward a proposal on agriculture without first having an impact assessment, which should be available by the end of the year. Proposals made should be in line with the mandate conferred by the Council on the Commission, he said, adding that there were “red lines”. There have been no breakthroughs with regard to trade talks with Canada, the commissioner admitted, pointing out that the EU was on the offensive regarding its interests on milk, geographical indications and quality products. He sought to reassure MEPs on the subject of the EU/Morocco agreement. This agreement, he said, does not target total liberalisation even for tomatoes or fruit and vegetables. “We have protective measures to counter any problems”, including for tomatoes, he said. (L.C./transl.jl)