Brussels, 03/04/2000 (Agence Europe) - By unanimously adopting the report by the French Socialist Michel Dary, the Parliamentary Agricultural Committee decided to propose to the European Parliament to significantly modify the European Commission's proposals aiming to reform the common market organisation for bananas (CMO) to take into account the requirements from the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It rejects the exclusively tariff based formula endorsed by the European Commission. To enable to banana producers from the ultra-peripheral regions and the ACP countries to adapt, it opposes the introduction of a single regime as of 2006 and calls for the maintaining of tariff contingents during a ten-month period. EUROPE recalls that the same request was made last week by the joint EU-ACP Assembly during its session in Nigeria (see EUROPE of 27 March, p.15).
The Agricultural Committee also spoke out against the "descending auction" which is the foundation of the management of contingents on the order of arrival of the customs declarations. It calls for a minimum tariff preference of EUR 300/ton for ACP countries (instead of the EUR 275 put forward by the European Commission) and an evaluation of the impact of the new regime in the producers and Community and ACP operators, every two years. It also calls for a strengthening of the payments to Community producers: assistance under the structural funds, compensatory measures, aid for commercialisation. The report also proposes the introduction of specific measures in favour of biological production methods and bananas produced while respect equitable trade rules.
This report will be submitted to the plenary during the 10 to 14 April session in Strasbourg. The European Parliament will then vote in the first reading in the framework of the codecision procedure.
The French Gaullist Joseph Daul welcomed the results of this vote that enabled, with the adoption of several amendments he presented, to maintain "just and fair" conditions for access to the markets for producers from the ultra-periphery regions, who provide 20% of the bananas consumer in the EU and the ACP countries who provide 24% of the EU's consumption.
For maintaining the Community subsidy for school milk at 95%
During the next session in Strasbourg, the plenary will also be called to vote on the Dutch Social Democrat Jan Maat's report concerning the reform of the milk distribution regime in schools. Through this report, the Parliamentary Agriculture Committee proposes to the European Parliament to oppose the co-financing regime such as that put forward by the European Commission to better involve the Member States and the milk subsidiary involved in this programme. The report calls for the Community subsidy not to be below 95% (against 50% in the Commission proposal) and hopes that the milk based drinks and drinking yoghurt may benefit from this programme, to better take into account the changes in eating habits.
EUROPE recalls that during the last Agriculture Council, the Minister of several Member States were also opposed to this reform that symbolises, for them, the first move away from a generalised co-financing of the Common Agricultural Policy (see Bulletin of 23 March, p.11).