Brussels, 19/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - European agriculture ministers will come together in Luxembourg on Thursday 22 October to discuss the contribution that agriculture can make to climate change mitigation.
The Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU has invited ministers to a working lunch to discuss “The impact of a recent decision of the European Patent office (EPO) on the plant breeders' rights regime”. The patents on tomatoes and broccoli are of concern to some delegations which feel that the scope is too wide.
Ministers will hold an exchange of views on the contribution of agriculture to climate change mitigation with a document prepared by the Presidency providing a basis for discussion. This debate will form part of the run-up to the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21), which will take place in Paris from 30 November to 11 December this year.
Agriculture has an impact on climate change. And similarly, climate change also has an impact on agriculture. The Presidency will invite member states to reflect in particular upon a number of questions. With agriculture currently implementing a number of instruments to mitigate the effects of climate change, which existing measures should be prioritised to address climate mitigation effectively? Are there new actions that should be implemented as a priority? How can the link between science and agricultural practice be improved at EU level?
Other business. The Netherlands will inform ministers on an initiative for accelerating sustainable plant protection. Ministers will be briefed by the French delegation on the continuation of the legislative work on foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses (PARNUTs). Germany will give a briefing on the outcome of a meeting of the G7 health ministers in Berlin on 8-9 October 2015. The Czech delegation will present the Council with the main conclusions of the meeting of the Visegrad group countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic) plus Bulgaria, Austria, Romania and Slovenia (V4+4) which took place on 26 August 2015. These countries debated the difficulties which agricultural markets, and in particular the dairy market, are currently facing. Lastly, ministers will be briefed by the Slovenian delegation on the outcomes of a ministerial conference on “How to maintain GMO-free agriculture in Europe” which was held in Ptuj (Slovenia) on 21 August 2015. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)