Brussels, 13/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - Other than reopening the debate on bio-technologies (see EUROPE of 9/10 July, p.11), Belgium has included food safety among the "main priorities" of its Presidency. It has as task to ensure the setting up of the European Food Authority "European institution which superimposes itself over national food agencies and Member States", says Jaak Gabriels, hoping that the future Authority will be "on a par with" American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Belgium will take advantage of its position as Presidency of the EU Council to promote (and possibly have adopted by other Member States) its "Consum" programme for controlling the food chain as a whole, set up in 1999 following the dioxin contamination crisis. "The Belgian Presidency wants to use this method as reference at European level".
To respond to the vague desires of placing into question the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), Mr. Gabriels stresses that "we cannot forget the undertakings made in Berlin" (Agenda 2000), by which "the stability of a multifunctional and sustainable Cap must be guaranteed, while remaining open to the debate on its future direction". Re-establishing balance in the beef market is also one of the main concerns of the Belgian Presidency. The other common market organizations (Cmos) that are to hold its attention are: - sheep and goat meat (introduction of a set premium for ewes), including the traceability of sheep and goats; - ethyl alcohol; - potatoes (the European Commission is soon to publish a report on this sector). Mr. Gabriels should also be urging the Commission to adopt a different attitude regarding the supply in the European Union of plant proteins. The Belgian Presidency would also like to "move forward" with the simplification of the administrative procedures of the Cap, suggesting the drafting of an "impact file" to check that when any new regulation is being implemented that it is consistent with existing legislation and its effect on the simplification of the Cap. The other priorities are as follows:
Animal health: end-November/early-December, the Belgian Presidency will organise an international conference on the consequences of the foot-and-mouth crisis (origins and existing methods for combating it). It will be an "ideal" opportunity to re-open the debate on the non-vaccination policy and possibly include the problem of swine fever.
Animal welfare: Mr. Gabriels intends to continue the work of the Swedish Presidency on animal welfare, more specifically regarding the protection of animals during transport.
Fisheries: during the three Councils scheduled for the second half of the year (22 October, 27 November and 17/18 December), the Presidency wants to make progress in discussions on most of the subjects of the Green Paper on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy, such as access to fishing areas, of multi-annual quota systems, environmental aspects, fleet management, control measures and administrative management. Regarding the measures and plans for reconstituting stocks (cod and hake), Mr. Gabriels said that he could not "tolerate that large quantities of fish should be thrown back to sea simply because the fish are not large enough to be brought to shore (…) especially as, in that case, their chance of survival are almost zero".