Brussels, 16/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - EU agriculture and fisheries ministers will be meeting in Brussels on 19-20 September to discuss proposed legislative changes to the sugar regime and attempt to strike agreement on the exploitation of fisheries resources in the Mediterranean. Farm issues will be discussed on Monday, under the chairmanship of Margaret Beckett, British Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Fishing issues will be discussed on Tuesday, under the chairmanship of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Sugar. On Monday afternoon, the EU ministers will discuss with ministers of the sugar-producing African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and least developed countries (LDC) the legal and political aspects of the reform of the Common Market Organisation of the sugar sector proposed in June by the Commission, on the price cuts, on the economic impact of the reform on those countries and on the action plan and accompanying measures. The Commission will be represented by European Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, European Development Commissioner Louis Michel and a high-ranking official from DG Trade. A similar such meeting was held in January (see EUROPE 8874). In parallel with this meeting, the British Presidency and Commission will be meeting each EU Member States' delegation to look at the problems for them of the planned sugar reforms. At the July Council, six Member States (Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Finland) were very hostile to the plans. This 'hard core' of disgruntled states was supported to varying degrees by Austria, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia (see EUROPE 8993).
GMOs. Ministers are not expected to advance so as to be able to take a qmv decision on authorising the marketing of GM maize 1507. Pursuant to the rules of comitology, failing a decision by the Council in the next three months, the proposed measures will be adopted by the Commission. At the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) on 14 September, 8 countries came out in favour of authorising the genetically modified maize, namely Belgium, the Czech republic, Estonia, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and the UK), six other abstained (Spain, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia) and eleven voted against (Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Austria and Slovakia). Maize 1507 is genetically modified for resistance to certain lepidopteran pests and for tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate-ammonium. The request for authorisation is for using the product in animal feed.
Cereals, fruit, vegetables and farm payments. Under 'Other items', Poland will ask for the quick removal of surpluses from the markets of Central Europe, due to the lack of proper storing capacities, through free market tenders for the payment of export refunds rather than first buying-in for intervention stocks. Italy will ask the Commission to ask for a presentation of a regulation on crisis management in agriculture (tomatoes, peaches and eating grapes) to withdraw excess production from the market and organising a campaign to promote these products. Future crisis distillation measures will also be envisaged. The Czech Republic will ask for an earlier deadline for providing the single area payment in the Czech Republic following a significant decrease in incomes of farmers caused by price drops in cereals and oil crops.
Bird flu. Markos Kyprianou, European Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner, will inform ministers on Tuesday of measures taken at EU level to head off avian influenza (discovered in July Russia and Kazakhstan) (see EUROPE 9028).
Fishing in the Mediterranean. The Council will aim to reach political agreement on the draft Regulation on sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean (see EUROPE 9024 on the most recent British Presidency compromise document). The most controversial aspects are the minimum mesh size of bottom trawls (several delegations oppose the introduction of square-meshed net of 40 mm at the cod-end and diamond-meshed net for 50 mm); the minimum landing size of hake (France, Italy and Greece want 15 cm instead of 20 cm as in the proposal); Italy and France oppose the idea of a minimum size for sardine (the British Presidency suggests 11 cm) and three delegations (including France) want to preserve traditional fishery in protected habitats and sea-grass zones.
Stock recovery. Ministers will hold an exchange of views on the British Presidency discussion paper concerning options for enhancing stock recovery measures for endangered species like cod ahead of the mammoth negotiations at the end of December to decide on total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas for 2006. Options to be presented include a further reduction in fishing (reducing days at sea across the board, addressing gears other than those targeted so far, introducing closed areas and administrative sanctions). France will protest against the ban on anchovy fishing in the Bay of Biscay until the end of the year (see EUROPE 9026).
Fuel prices in the fisheries sector. European Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg will provide information on planned measures to tackle soaring fuel prices (see EUROPE 9027).