Brussels, 06/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on 24 September, the European Commission is holding a major conference on the future of the milk sector once production quotas come to an end in 2015.
On Thursday 5 September, Dacian Ciolos, the European commissioner for agriculture, told a group of journalists that an expert group commissioned by DG Agriculture will present the results of their reflections. Other experts from professional organisations have been invited to take part in the debate (EMB, COPA-COGECA) alongside the think tank Momagri. There will be two reflection workshops (milk and market; milk and territory) to analyse the sector from these angles. There will then be a debate between all attendees on the ideas which emerge.
After this event, the invited experts and DG Agriculture will draft conclusions which Ciolos will present to the Council and the EP. “On the basis of these conclusions and the political will, we will see what the next stages will be”. In the framework of the milk package of 2012, Ciolos promised to present a report on the milk market situation and proposals by 30 June 2014. “If there are things we can do ahead of that, why not”, he stressed. The reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) has also provided for certain instruments which can be mobilised in the event of crisis or need and certain structural actions, even though these instruments do not specifically apply to the dairy sector.
Investigating the need for new tools
“I do not arrange debates in order to confirm my own ideas”, said Ciolos. He is holding this conference in order to “listen to the experts”. First and foremost, we need to see if there is a “need for new mechanisms”, by means of an analysis of the sector's prospects. Then, we need to see what mechanisms could be technically applied, without bringing about untenable costs. Lastly, we need to assess the mechanisms which could be politically accepted by the Council and the European Parliament. “There is no point in a commissioner playing the hero, proposing things if he is aware they will not get through”, Ciolos commented.
The conference has three objectives: to assess the need for new mechanisms in light of what already exists, to see what their application would entail if these ideas see the light of day, and to evaluate the likelihood of the political acceptance of any such measures.
Ciolos hopes that this conference will allow the various arguments to be set against each other. He explained that he understood the countries who say “we have the potential to increase production and we can sell it and therefore you cannot stop us from doing so”. He also understands the countries which are asking to keep mechanisms in place on the grounds that milk is essential from an economic point of view, to support populations in rural areas and safeguard certain types of dairy products (such as quality cheeses and other products). “I also understand those who say that we should not prevent those who are able to do so from developing economically, but I can also understand the others who tell us that they do not want to be abandoned to the mercy of a wave of crises due to the fact that some people will unconsciously produce more without being able to manage these quantities, to the detriment of the most vulnerable (farmers)”.
It is not the Commission's job to perform miracles, it is there to manage the common agriculture policy and ensure fair application of its mechanisms throughout the entire EU, the Commissioner concluded. (LC/transl.fl)