Brussels, 21/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - Commenting on the "very positive" outcome of the Agriculture Council, Monday evening, the President-in-Office Luis Capoulos Santos welcomed the political agreement on the targeted reduction of export refunds for certain processed products (see yesterday's EUROPE) and the "fruitful debates" on both the milk distribution programme in schools and on the future guidelines for European food safety policy. Asked about the idea put forward by several delegations for a voluntary co-funding by Member States to complement the Community contribution to the "school milk" programme, Franz Fischler expressed reservations regarding a formula that "could allow to tap the national share of the funding from the budget of the milk industry so as not to delve into the budgets of Member States". According to him, the programme's popularity, widely expressed by Member States, should encourage the latter to share in the measure's funding.
During an exchange of views, over dinner, on budgetary issues, some ministers criticised the Commission's tendency to have the reconstruction of Kosovo funded in part by credits from the Cap.
EUROPE will return to the details of the outcome of the session tomorrow.