Brussels, 01/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - The final act of the Spanish Presidency focused on a first discussion on agricultural issues with candidate countries, noted Permanent Representative Francisco Javier Conde de Saro after eleven negotiation meetings (all candidates except Bulgaria), held last Friday in Brussels. Three negotiation chapters have been closed: taxation with Estonia, fisheries with Malta and the Economic and Monetary Union with Romania. Presenting the results of the Spanish Presidency, Mr Conde stressed that 51 chapters were closed and 22 opened for the first time during the first half of 2002. He said "the leopard's skin, full of white spots (inherited from previous Presidencies) is now becoming a black panther skin". He welcomed the efforts made by all actors and especially the candidate countries.
During the meetings, most candidate countries expressed their concern about the agricultural side, mainly with regard to quotas and reference periods chosen for fixing the quotas, as well as the thorny direct aid issue. On the first subject, Director General at the European Commission Eneko Landaburu said that several delegations consider the reference periods chosen by the Commission for calculating dairy quotas correspond to the transition period towards the market economy and do not take into account the reality of current consumer demand for milk. We shall be working together at bilateral level in July and September before returning to the Member Sates, he said, stressing the Commission's willingness to come closer to the positions expressed by candidate countries. "Nothing is completely taboo and everything can be negotiated", he added, recalling that the only constraint is that of keeping to the financial framework fixed in Berlin, within which there is nonetheless a margin of manoeuvre. On the subject of direct aid, he said he was concerned by the ability of Member States to give their stance on the proposal that the Commission forwarded to them on 31 January. "We shall not go as far as 100% direct aid (…) It is not worth speaking of theology, asking oneself if it is fair or unfair", he replied to a question on Polish demands. He went on to add that the Commission expects a more realistic attitude from Poland.