Brussels, 20/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - Agriculture and fisheries ministers form EU Member States met on Tuesday morning in Brussels under the presidency of their Dutch counterpart Cees Veerman to adopt proposal on Total Allowable Catches (TAC) and quotas in 2005 and discuss the new controversial fishing effort reduction measures. The Council is also expected to adopt proposals on fishing in 2005-06 of so-called deep-sea species. Negotiations on fishing is expected to last until Wednesday morning.
Few agricultural subjects are on the agenda: results from the two conference on animal diseases and zoonoes, simplification of legislation on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and regulation on wood imports. The Council will welcome to new agriculture ministers: Marica Lukacic from Slovenia and Dominique Bussereau from France.
Here is a summary of the main subjects on the Council agenda:
TAC proposals and quotas for 2005: the proposed reductions on fishing effort are posing most problems (EUROPE 9 December 2004 p 11). Several Member States: France, United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium are opposed to the setting up next year of North Sea cod closure zones. In opposition, Germany and Sweden support the European Commission projects. France, United Kingdom and Belgium oppose the reduction of fishing days for sole in the western Channel. France and Spain believe that extending the closure zones in waters off the west of Scotland, to protect cod stocks, penalises deep sea fishing activities. Measures for cod in the Baltic Sea (zones and banning periods) are less contested, as the Commission is being more open to compromise. Spain and Portugal are having difficulties to agree to the suggested measures in the west of the Iberian Peninsula for hake (10% reduction a year for fishing) and lobster (closure of five fishing zones).
Deep sea stocks. Several Member States, including France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Denmark, oppose the recommended reductions in fishing deep sea fish (-30%) and Total Allowable Catches (TACs), for which a 50% cut is recommended. The countries in question want the current levels to be kept (see Europe of 20 November 2004, p.11).
Simplification of the CFP. The Commission will outline its communication to simplify the Common Fisheries Policy (see Europe of 16 December 2004, p.11).
Animal diseases. The Dutch Presidency will brief ministers on the conclusions reached by EU health ministers at a conference on the EU's reaction to the public health risks of emerging animal epidemics, held in The Hague on 16/17 September. They will also be briefed on the conclusions the Dutch Presidency is planning to draft following a conference on the cost of controlling animal diseases, held in Brussels on 15/16 December.
Simplification of farm legislation. The Council will take note of the state of play following research by Member States' experts on how to simplify farm legislation, a vital task according to the Dutch Presidency (which in a letter written together with the Irish Presidency dated 10 June 2004, urged Member States to come up with concrete proposals. 74 suggestions have been made, also covering food safety (regulating organic farming, registering and identifying cattle, statistics and export subsidies) with the aim of removing superfluous red tape.
Wood imports. The ministers will hold a policy debate on the Commission's proposal (unveiled in July 2004) for a voluntary timber import licence scheme, or Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade system, to help prevent illegally traded timber entering the EU.