Brussels, 15/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 14 November, the EU Council of Ministers reached a qualified majority agreement on a regulation establishing conditions whereby the European Commission fixes certain aid amounts and refunds linked to the single common market organisation (CMO), such as support for the provision of dairy products for children and export refunds. The text is part of common agricultural policy (CAP) reform.
The text in question is based on Article 43.3 of the European Treaty which stipulates that only the “Council, on a proposal from the Commission, shall adopt measures on fixing prices, levies, aid and quantitative limitations and on the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities”. Poland had announced its intention to vote against, stressing that the intervention prices in the text do not reflect either real prices or real costs of entrants, while Germany and the United Kingdom planned to abstain. Cyprus considered that the scheme for the distribution of milk in schools is not suitable for its geographical situation separate from mainland EU. Finally, Greece wanted a better co-funding of the “fruit and vegetables at school” programme in the small islands of the Aegean Sea. (LC/transl.jl)