Brussels, 13/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - The EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers are to meet on 20 February in Brussels, under the chairmanship of Georgios Drys, in order to note progress made in the technical review of the legislative proposals on reform of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and to discuss problems of coexistence between conventional, organic and bio-technological farming (GMOs). The Council is also expected to adopt decisions concerning the authorisation to market an antibiotic (avilamycine) and a pesticide (aldicarb). The meeting will begin at 11h00 and end during the afternoon as there are few points on the agenda (there will be no issue linked to fisheries policy).
- CAP reform: Ministers should note the results of the examination of legislative proposals carried out at the level of the Special Agriculture Committee (SAC) and various relevant groups of the Council (see EUROPE of 13 February 2003, p.17). Furthermore, Italy will call on Council to examine its request to pay national aid in favour of farm cooperatives.
- GMOs: At the request of Italy in particular (backed by eight other Member States), Commissioner David Byrne is to present an interim report on the problems of coexistence between traditional crops (including organic) and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). During the Council on 27 and 28 January, Italian Minister Giovanni Alemanno had called for concrete measures in order to prevent the phenomenon of contamination, as well as for "inclusion of genetically modified seeds in the Community catalogue to be suspended until the new proposals are approved in order not to compromise the possibility of coexistence between the different forms of agriculture". Mr Alemanno had received the support of his German, Austrian, French, Belgian, Luxembourg, Danish, Swedish and Greek counterparts. British Minister Margarett Beckett had agreed to begin a debate between the Fifteen while saying she was opposed to suspending inclusion in the catalogue. Mr Alemanno had insisted that the two regulations on the table for approval (genetically modified food and feed and traceability and labelling of GMOs) would presuppose the coexistence of separate food processing production installations, hence the need for rules to ensure conventional and organic farming is protected from the risk of gradual contamination arising from the introduction of transgenic crops. The Commission is expected to adopt a communication on this thorny issue on 5 March.
At this stage, it is not to be ruled out that some delegations will intervene in deciding what to do with the requests for GMO approval that have been suspended since the moratorium was put in place (until entry into force of the two new regulations).
- Antibiotics and pesticides: The Council is expected to adopt two decisions (according to comitology procedure) concerning: (1) the marketing of a pesticide (aldicarb) that could present risks for birds and earthworms and elsewhere; (2) the extension of the authorisation to market an antibiotic, avilamycine (see EUROPE of 4 February, p.13). Mr Byrne will present details of the Commission's proposal on strengthening official controls on food and animal feed to the Council (see details in EUROPE of 6 February, p.9).