The Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU decided after a debate among European agriculture ministers in Luxembourg on Monday 12 June to attempt last-chance talks on organic farming (see EUROPE 11803).
It will hold bilateral meetings with the delegations of all the EU countries to help it prepare a compromise text.
This compromise text should be drafted by 21 June and then discussed at a meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA), perhaps on 26 June. The SCA will agree a revised Council mandate with a view to negotiating a compromise with the European Parliament delegation in a trialogue meeting between 27 June and the end of the Maltese presidency on 30 June.
Commission makes compromise proposals. European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan welcomed the significant progress made on the text – he says that there is agreement on 90% of the provisions. “In a spirit of compromise, we should try to overcome the obstacles in the coming weeks.”
He suggested compromise proposals with regard to pesticides (presence of unauthorised substances) and cultivation under glass.
Pesticides. Allowing the countries that so wish to apply their national legislation on pesticide residue thresholds is an issue that is dividing the Council. The Commission proposes, therefore, to present a report assessing the situation three years after the new regulation comes into effect. It will submit a legislative proposal and, during the procedure to adopt the text, countries will be able to continue to apply their own national rules on thresholds.
Production under glass. The Commission proposes keeping in place the derogations enjoyed by a number of northern European countries (production in containers of soil) for a period of ten years. It will carry out an evaluation before publishing a report and, if necessary, a legislative proposal.
Differences among countries. The Maltese Presidency said that the majority of countries want to continue negotiations but that divisions remain on the issue. Some countries, such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Slovakia, called either for the proposal to be withdrawn or for the current text to be amended to comply with the requirements of the Lisbon Treaty.
Poland, Italy, Austria and Lithuania were highly critical of the current compromise text. “The text as it stands is unacceptable”, said, for example, the Italian minister, who would like the rules to be harmonised. For cultivation under glass, he believes that organic crops should be in contact with the earth.
Germany argued for swift agreement on this issue. France called for the text on the table to be improved and for negotiations to be continued. Spain hoped that the EU would quickly reach a consensus view that satisfied everyone, including farmers and consumers.
MEP Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany), the rapporteur on organic farming, was relieved after the Council decided to continue the talks. “There is a good compromise on the table. Parliament will work hard for a final agreement before summer”, he said. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)