At the Agriculture Council in Brussels on Monday 12 December, the Austrian delegation criticised the biofuels section of the clean energy package presented at the end of November (see EUROPE 11681).
The Belgian and Swedish agriculture ministers supported the Austrian comments. France said that renewable energy must not be penalised and emphasised that the member states must be free to choose their own energy mix. Denmark, generally pleased with the package proposed, said it was ready to work on next generation biofuels. European Commissioner Phil Hogan argued that this was a “balanced” package, building on existing legislation. He said that the target for liquid biofuels from food crops in the energy mix (3.8% by 2030) was “a positive signal for the sector”.
Plant variety rights. During discussion on a further “other business” point, the Slovak Presidency provided ministers with information on the Commission opinion clarifying certain articles of Directive 98/44/EC on protecting biotechnical inventions. The opinion says that products obtained from essentially biological processes should not be allowed to be patented. A Presidency note stated that conclusions on this matter are currently being prepared by the Competitiveness Council. The text is expected to be finalised under Maltese presidency. Several delegations, which included Germany, Belgium, Austria and Portugal, supported the work done by the Commission.
Migration. France, with the support of the Maltese, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Greek delegations, drew attention to a request from the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM). This international body, based in France, would like to be listed as a key body in the migration crisis, because of its expertise in development and rural development in the Mediterranean area. The Commission, for its part, detailed a number of Community instruments dedicated to assisting migrants and countries of origin led by directorates general other than DG AGRI. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)