Brussels, 22/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 22 August, the European Commission clarified the details of the emergency measures it has taken to support European producers hit by poor weather and the Russian ban on food products, following the meeting earlier that day of the management committee for the agricultural markets of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 11135).
For the peach and nectarine market, the Commission confirms that the additional financial support is aimed primarily at withdrawals for free distribution, but withdrawals for composting and non-food use are also covered. The budget allocated for these measures is €29.7 million plus €3 million for promotion activities. It will be granted to four member states (Italy, Spain, France and Greece) on the basis of their annual production.
The Commission then presented the national experts with the draft legislative text on the emergency measures, which was announced earlier this week and covers perishable fruit and vegetables, for formal adoption next week. “Most member states welcome rapid response by the Commission and the measures to be implemented”, the Commission states in a press release. The discussions of the management committee focused on how to guarantee that the measures will have a rapid impact.
Focus on dairy products. The situation on the dairy products market is also central to the Commission's concerns. The Commission is analysing the latest available data and will not hesitate to take further emergency market support measures, particularly for certain dairy products for which the impact of the ban seems obvious, it explained. On Thursday 28 August, the meeting of the management committee will focus on the market situation for dairy and meat products. (MB)