Brussels, 15/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - The EU Member States' Agriculture and fisheries ministers will be meeting in Luxembourg on Monday under the chairmanship of Dutch politician Cees Verman to discuss simplification of the EU rules on fruit and vegetables, the development of organic farming and progress in trade negotiations at the WTO and with Mercosur countries. Much of their time will be spent looking at fishing, with a broadcast public debate on the European Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA). The French farm minister will request EU measures to help fishermen whose business is under threat from rising fuel prices. Three new ministers will be joining the Council for the first time, namely Irish minister Marcy Coughlan, Danish minister Hans Christian Schmidt (taking over from Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner Designate) and Greek minister Evangelos Bassiakos. Outgoing Commissioners Franz Fischler and David Byrne will make farewell speeches. A summary of the main dossiers:
Fruit and vegetables. The Council will hold a policy debate on the basis of a questionnaire drawn up by the Presidency on the report from the Commission on the simplification of the common market organisation in fruit and vegetables. The Dutch Presidency suggests that the ministers consider how to simplify the market rules for producer organisations and regroup supply in regions with low levels of farming organisations (like in the new Member States). The immediate problem is the mass import of processed tomatoes from China, which is a matter of concern to several Member States (including Greece, Italy, France and Spain). Portugal is experiencing similar problems with imports of apple juice and frozen strawberries. On the Special Agriculture Committee (SAC), various Member States have called for greater coherence between the fruit and vegetable market and rural development regulations. Italy, France and Portugal want operational funds to fund insurance policies. France wants other crisis management instruments to be established in addition to the planned withdrawal measure, a request which most other delegations have reservations about. Eighteen Member States have criticised measures for averting a cauliflower crisis established on France's request (see Europe of 13 October, p.13).
Organic farming. The Council will adopt conclusions on the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming (EAPOFF), unveiled by the Commission in June 2004. The Member States broadly support the 21 different actions contained in the plan, but debate at SAC level revealed disagreement with regard to GMOs.
Other business (rabies, GMOs, school milk, etc). Following the outbreak of three cases of rabies in non-vaccinated dogs illegally imported by owners from the Maghreb, France will call for EU measures to ensure the EU keeps its non-rabies status (stepping up awareness raising campaigns to deter European travellers to at risk zones from bringing animals back to the EU, stepping up EU controls at borders and funding a programme to combat rabies in North Africa). Denmark and Italy, supported by Greece, Austria, Germany and Poland, will draw attention to the coexistence of GM crops with other crops, and call for the setting up of a European task force. Spain will announce plans to host a summit at the end of 2005 organised by the management body of the International treaty on genetic plant resources. Italy will draw attention to the impact of recent US bioterrorism legislation on EU farm exports, while Denmark will call for amendments to EU legislation on the supply of school milk to ensure low fat products are also eligible for subsidy. David Byrne will brief ministers on the state of play with regard to BSE.
European Fisheries Control Agency. The Council will hold a broadcast policy debate on the draft regulation to establish the European Fisheries Control Agency (with its headquarters in Vigo, Spain), (see Europe of 29 April 2004). The Commission submitted the proposal to the Council on 21 June and at the start of May, experts in the Member States started looking at the details of the plan. The main problem is the respective competences of the Member States and the agency. The European Parliament is not expected to give its opinion until 22 February 2005. The Commission wants the agency to be up and running in 2006.
Sole, hake and Norway lobster: The Ministers will hold an exploratory debate on the proposals from January, which aim to bring in reconstitution plans for stocks of sole (in the western Channel and the Gulf of Gascony), and hake and Norway lobster (in the Cantabrian Sea and in the western Iberian peninsula). Discussions made little headway (EUROPE of 16 September, p.12), because the Member States were still waiting for the definitive scientific opinion of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on the state of sole stocks. This opinion, however, was only due to be published on the very day of the Council. If ICES decides that stocks have deteriorated, the general spirit of the measures recommended by the Commission will be confirmed, such as the reduction of the number of days of fishing. If, on the other hand, ICES demonstrates that stocks remain stable, the Member States in question (France, Belgium, United Kingdom) will recommend that the reconstitution plans proposed are replaced with a long-term stock management strategy (no reduction of fishing days, just strict rules on quotas and other control measures).
Bilateral agreement with Norway: The Council will discuss the political guidelines to give the Commission for consultations with Norway on the annual division of the main joint stocks in Norwegian and Community territorial waters. Talks with Oslo have already started, and are proving very difficult. This bilateral agreement allows several Member States to fish for cod in Norwegian waters. In exchange, Norway gets the right to catch capelin and Greenland halibut in Community waters. But as stocks of these two species are not overly healthy, the EU is not able to offer the Norwegians sufficient compensation for the cod fishing rights. One option would be offering Norway the possibility of fishing for mackerel, Greenland halibut or shrimp in the North Sea, but this does not have unanimity among the Member States.