Brussels, 09/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU agriculture and fisheries ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 December, with their main business being the setting of total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2016 in the Atlantic, the Channel and the North Sea.
Talks are unlikely to be straightforward as a result of delays in presenting some figures (including on additional quotas to take account of the ending of discards at sea). The Council working party on fisheries will meet on Thursday 10 December to prepare for the ministerial meeting and the figures on the quotas that are shared with Norway are expected on Friday 11 December.
At the meeting of the member states' representatives to the EU (Coreper) on Wednesday 9 December, a number of countries (including France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium) called for a longer phasing-in period for implementation of the principle of maximum sustainable yield (MSY), compared with what the Commission has proposed.
Black Sea quotas to be set, too. Romania and Bulgaria have complained about the proposed zero TAC for turbot, arguing that other third countries fish in the zone and that theirs is only a 6% share of total catches.
Sustainable agriculture. On Monday, agriculture ministers will hold a debate on sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the bio-economy as part of the preparation of a long-term EU strategy for agricultural research and innovation. The bio-economy - which encompasses the production of all biomass types and the conversion of these resources and waste streams into value-added products - is one of the ways to address the challenges of food security, energy security, climate change, protection of the environment and industrial renewal. The standing committee on agricultural research (SCAR), which was established in 1974 under common agricultural policy (CAP) legislation, has a role to play in this conversation and has published a report, which it presented at the start of October 2015. Preparation of a long-term EU strategy for agricultural research and innovation began in June 2015 at an Expo Milano workshop. The strategy will be presented and discussed at a major conference organised by the Commission in Brussels on 26-28 January 2016.
Animal medicines. The Luxembourg Presidency will: - brief the Council on the state of play with regard to animal medicines (proposal for a regulation on veterinary medicines and proposal for a regulation on the manufacture, marketing and use of medicated feedstuffs); - summarise the issues discussed in the framework of the Codex Alimentarius in 2015; - take stock of progress in talks between the Council and the European Parliament on school milk and fruit-vegetables schemes.
Lastly, at the request of Poland, the Council will discuss the deteriorating situation in the pigmeat sector, which is still facing serious difficulties in a number of states (the anti-crisis package makes provision for aid for the sector and the Commission has said that private storage for pigmeat will re-open in January 2016). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)