Brussels, 24/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The forthcoming Council of EU agriculture ministers in Luxembourg on 28 June will, in addition to some fisheries matters (see below), discuss the health implications of the E.coli crisis and the repercussions the crisis has had on the vegetable market. At the request of Italy, ministers will also discuss the aid programme for the most deprived persons in the EU, credits for which have dipped significantly for 2012.
The E.coli crisis was debated at the meeting on 20 June of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). While most countries are satisfied with the rapid release of an envelope of €210 million to compensate vegetable producers, some are highly critical of the rules for the application of the programme. Spain, Germany, Poland and Italy regret that the compensation measures are restricted to only a few vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes and peppers) when other products have been affected by the crisis. Spain and Germany want the measures extended to include cabbages, radishes and rocket, and Poland wants to see mushrooms included. Belgium and Denmark argued that those producers who preferred to sell their products cheaply, rather than destroy them, should also be compensated.
Spain, France, Greece, Belgium and Italy asked the European Commission swiftly to bring forward promotion measures to restore consumer confidence. While each member state, the Commission has said, can undertake national campaigns, procedures for European campaigns have very strict legal conditions attached. National authorities, the Commission says, have to make proposals in the form of declarations of interest and campaigns can only begin once assessment has been completed. Given all of this, the Commission is of the view that a European campaign could not begin before the autumn. France suggested that the level of aid should be set on the basis of historic prices on national markets.
Italy, backed by 14 member states (France, Poland, Belgium, Estonia, Spain, Latvia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia) intends to take action in support of the European food distribution scheme to the most deprived members of society. Following a ruling by European judges, the funding allocated to the scheme in 2012 has been reduced from €500 million to €113 million (as a result of low levels of intervention stocks). A group of countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and the Czech Republic) is calling for the scheme to be ended (arguing that it falls under social policy and not agricultural). These countries form a blocking minority. The position of the Czech Republic, however, could change in that, unlike the other five, it is taking part in the food distribution scheme. If the Czechs approved the scheme, this would give the Council of Ministers the qualified majority needed for the adoption of the Commission proposal on continuing this initiative.
France will brief the Council on the outcome of the G20 agriculture ministers meeting (see article above). (L.C./transl.rt)