Agriculture ministers from several EU countries called at their meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 12 June for greater transparency from the European Commission in preparations for the WTO (World Trade Organisation) ministerial conference, to be held in Buenos Aires from 11 to 14 December 2017 (see EUROPE 11803). The WTO is due to discuss, among other things, introducing new rules on support for farmers.
Poland raised this matter in the “other business” section of Monday’s Agriculture Council. It was supported by Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Later Latvia also backed the calls from this group of countries.
In particular, they called for information on the prospects for an agreement at the ministerial conference and on the state of progress on talks with Brazil on drafting a joint negotiating proposal.
The agriculture ministers of these countries called on the Commission not to amend the current common agricultural policy (CAP) mechanisms, notably direct payments. The new French minister, Jacques Mézard, argued for “regulated globalisation” (free trade but with measures to protect sensitive sectors).
Mercosur. With the support of a number of delegations, the French minister also broached the issue of free-trade negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur countries (see EUROPE 11784). France called for the Agriculture Council to assess for itself the balance of the concessions planned by each of the two parties. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)