Brussels, 08/02/2000 (Agence Europe) - The adoption by the European Commission of its proposal on agricultural prices for the 2000/2001 marketing year, initially foreseen for Wednesday, has been postponed for two weeks. This adjournment comes after the address by Commissioner Michaele Schreyer, responsible for budgetary matters, who calls for an additional 200 million in savings on price-related agricultural spending, while adjustments proposed by Commissioner Franz Fischler would only allow savings of EUR 8 million.
The adoption of the price package should not come before the end of the debate on budgetary guidelines for 2001 (see EUROPE of 8 February, p.8) with the likely consequence of doing away with the debate that the Agriculture Council was to hold on this issue, during its session on 21 February. The agenda of the next Council session now seems somewhat meagre since, in its present casting, there are only proposals concerning changes in the common market organisation for hemp and flax as well as reform of school milk distribution.