Brussels, 11/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - In a document dated Thursday 10 March to prepare for the Agriculture Council on 14 March (see also EUROPE 11509), the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU suggests that “there is a significant degree of convergence” on a number of measures to address the crisis affecting a range of agricultural sectors (milk, pigmeat and fruit and vegetables).
It cites: - the full use and possible continuation of several elements of the package adopted in 2015 and currently in force, especially with regard to the private storage of pigmeat and temporarily increasing the current quantitative (intervention) ceilings for skimmed milk powder; - considering how to improve the withdrawal system for fruit and vegetables; - increased flexibility in the interpretation of state aid rules, in this context the possibility for member states to give temporary support for restructuring, reduction of supply or liquidity support measures on a voluntary bases (“EU financial support to be considered/discussed in the Agriculture Council”); - temporarily increasing the current ceiling for the de minimis support (state aid); - considering the possibility of special support by member states in crises; - voluntary measures by operators, producer organisations, inter-branch organisations (IBOs) and cooperatives in production or supply management, based for instance on Articles 221 and 222 of the common market organisation (CMO) regulation; - measures addressing competition-related issues (e.g. on the fertilisers market, improved labelling of origin, strengthened fairness in the supply chain relations, etc.); - strengthening of the European promotion strategy and increasing the funds for promotion; - intensifying efforts to open new markets; - intensifying efforts of the Commission and the presidency to lift the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) ban on pigs and pigmeat; - developing an export credit instrument at EU level, with a possible role for the EIB, “including development of appropriate financials instrument, for example appropriate export credit tools”; - more flexibility in the implementation of provisions on voluntary coupled support; - the creation of a European meat market observatory; - adjusting rural development programmes to make them more responsive to crises; - conducting a special meeting of the agricultural market task force on solutions for improving the situation in the dairy market; - convening a high-level meeting of member state representatives with the agricultural market task force; - renewed efforts on the CAP simplification.
On the financing of the measures that could be agreed, the Dutch Presidency notes a convergence of views on “better use of existing budgetary margins while possible recourse to the crisis reserve should only be as a last resort”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)