Brussels, 15/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - At the Agriculture Council in Luxembourg on Monday 13 October, the producer countries (Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus) backed the European Commission request for a one-year extension to the international agreement, which dates from 2005, on olive oil and olives.
This is the International Olive Council (IOC) agreement. The members of the IOC are scheduled to meet in November and this issue will be discussed. The EU, represented by the Commission, and 16 countries (Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Uruguay) are members of the IOC.
The 2005 IOC agreement is due to expire on 31 December of this year and negotiations are under way to review the operation and the staffing of the body (IOC) to make it more efficient. The key priorities for the EU are modernisation of the organisation so that it can better respond to global developments in the olive oil sector (extension of the organisation to exporting and importing countries, trading standards for olive oil, new governance, and more).
Discussions on updating the agreement have proved lengthy, hence the EU's proposal that the current agreement be extended for a fixed period of one year. Reform of the organisation is in danger because of the lack of action from the current Presidency - Turkey. Turkey has launched a written procedure seeking a two-year extension of the 2005 agreement - a different approach to that of the EU. It has even been suggested that Turkey is looking at how to lessen the EU's domination in the IOC's decision-making process.
The EU is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of olive oil, pointed out Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos. The olive sector is of major importance to a number of member states. (LC)