Brussels, 26/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (COPA) and the General Committee for Agricultural Co-operation in the European Union (COGECA) reacted positively to the political agreement reached on Monday evening by the Agriculture Ministers concerning the aid and production quota scheme for tobacco leaves, to extend the scheme for three years to allow time for discussions on far-reaching reform of the industry (see EUROPE of 20 March, p.6). As far as the Presidents of the farming associations are concerned (Gerd Sonnleitner and Marcus Borgstrom) the compromise was inspired by the report by the EP Agriculture Committee presented by the rapporteur Arlindo Cunha (EPP-ED, Portugal, see EUROPE of 15 March, p.12) "as it indicates that the Council has no intention of adopting decisions on the tobacco regime, which could prejudge the debate on the future of the leaf tobacco producers, until the results of studies currently underway are available".
The organisation voice criticisms, however, of the technical modalities of the compromise in terms of the farmers' increased contributions to the Community Tobacco Fund, where they, like the EP, would have preferred no change. They also regret "that the quota levels and thresholds proposed by the Commission have not been increased. As a result some tobacco varieties that have market outlets have seen a cut in their quota without valid reason" and they regret the "disappearance eof research activities in the Tobacco Fund which were set up to combat tobacco addition" (although the same aim will be pursued through different means, Ed).