Brussels, 29/08/2014 (Agence Europe) - Following the announcement of measures in favour of the dairy producers hit by the Russian ban on imports of EU agricultural products (see EUROPE 11142) , COPA-COGECA said on Thursday 28 August that this was a “step in the right direction”, but called for further measures to be adopted.
Pekka Pesonen, the organisation's secretary general, stressed that the actions taken by the Commission did not go far enough. The drop in milk prices has reached 30% in some cases. “Further action is crucial”, he added. He also feels that it is vital actively to seek new outlets for the products and speed up promotion campaigns to stimulate new demand.
“In addition, the EU pigmeat sector has been suffering for months by the ban and action must be taken to improve the situation”, he added.
In order to mitigate the impact of the Russian ban on agri-food products from the EU, the Commission has already announced emergency measures for the peaches and nectarines sector (€37.5 million), perishable fruit and vegetables (€125 million) and milk (€10-20 million).
Measures in favour of the pigmeat sector could follow. An extraordinary Council of EU agriculture ministers will be held in Brussels on Friday 5 September, to discuss possible action.
French Minister for Agriculture Stéphane Le Foll and his Spanish counterpart, Isabel Garcia Tejerina, met on Thursday to discuss the impact of the ban decreed by the Russian Federation on the import of certain agri-food products from the EU. The two ministers agreed on the following points: - the ban (…) calls for solutions at European level; - the Commission must continue to keep a close eye on market developments and react as quickly as possible in order to take the necessary measures. These measures must be adapted to the situation in each individual sector; - the Commission must mobilise “all the tools at its disposal since the new CAP was adopted, in order to minimise disturbances on the European market, in particular withdrawal from production, storage, export refunds and support for promotion measures”.
France and Spain also argue that the Commission should “actively promote the search for alternative outlets in third countries for the agri-food products affected by the ban”. In short, France and Spain share “the same concerns over the consequences of the Russian ban and will defend a common position at the extraordinary Council of agriculture ministers, both on the measures and on the list of products concerned”. (LC)