Strasbourg, 02/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - The second Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Agriculture, which met in Strasbourg on Thursday 28 and Friday 29 September at the joint initiative of the Council of Europe Assembly and the European Parliament in collaboration with IFAP (International Federation of Agricultural Producers), reached its objective by beginning “joint reflection” on the future of Mediterranean agriculture, said Joseph Daul (EPP-ED, France). The chairman of the EP Committee on Agriculture, who was responsible for drawing the conclusions of the two-day discussions, stressed the interest of a common commitment, taken by parliamentarians and professional associations on both sides of the Mediterranean, to conduct “coordination of agricultural policies” and to “reinforce cooperation between European and Mediterranean operators” in the aim of creating a “common Euro-Mediterranean agricultural policy”.
Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel recalled in an opening statement the framework (Neighbourhood Policy) in which Euro-Mediterranean cooperation will now evolve, and said that agriculture can be a powerful driving force for regional integration. She drew a comprehensive picture of the approach adopted by the Commission in its relations with the Mediterranean (trade practice, phytosanitary rules, product quality, rural development, etc.) but did not give details of negotiations underway with many countries of the region for mutual market access. She said this effort will continue to enjoy European support as was the case under the MEDA regime, and as envisaged in the context of the EU Neighbourhood Policy's “new financial instrument”, with the conclusion of action plans, she said.
During the two days of discussions, focus was placed on the prospects of liberalisation of farm trade not only at world level (WTO) but also with regard to direct relations between the EU and the countries of the region. The prospect of a free trade area by 2010 gives rise to doubts and fears, on both sides. In a document forwarded to the conference, IFAP says that the setting in place of a free trade area could lay bare and accentuate the weaknesses of farming on the southern side of the Mediterranean unless the level of economic development of the partner countries is brought into line with that of the north. According to some speakers, the opening of southern Mediterranean markets (mainly cereals) will only weaken the local producers without being to the advantage of the Community producers but will mainly be of benefit to large agricultural powers such as the United States and Canada.
In its conclusions, the conference calls for enhanced complementarity and for correction to the current system of trade, considered “asymmetrical” widening still further the gulf between north and south. There was also considerable emphasis on the powerful obstacle of non-tariff mechanisms (phytosanitary, quality, etc.). The current quota and bilateral approach does not meet the requirements of a real process, as promised in the context of the Barcelona Process, and nurtures confrontation between producers on both sides, Mr Daul states in his final conclusions, adding: “Fear against liberalisation has taken hold”.
As the conference opened, René Van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, sought to give the broad outlines of the general framework in which all Mediterranean-orientated policies should evolve. In the agricultural sector, financial contribution will be less determining that the exchange of experience and know-how, he said. Walter Schmid, in charge of agricultural policy at the Council of Europe, followed this up by speaking of his lack of trust in the proposed free trade for agriculture. Guy Giva, Chairman of the IFAP Mediterranean Committee, also expressed his fears saying: “if nothing is done, disparities will grow”.
Professionals on both sides stressed the need for greater support and consultation, especially through arranging production timetables with greater specialisation and support for marketing based on valorisation of the collective “Mediterranean identity” of products rather than opening up to competition that would be to the detriment of all. One of the three workshops reserved to discussion allowed a worrying state of affairs to be drawn up of the situation around the Mediterranean, in the north as well as in the south. Current practice, as witnessed by Bertrand Hervieu, General Secretary of CIHEAM (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies), Guy Giva and Gérard Onesta, Vice President of the European Parliament, are environmentally destructive and would in time generate imbalance in terms of development, as well as urban, demographic and environmental imbalances that would also be harmful to safeguarding water resources. This is one of the main challenges, Mr Onesta said. Several speakers made a direct link between the future of agriculture and the management of migratory flows, whether internal (rural exodus) or external (towards Europe).
Quite simply, summed up National Front member Jean-Claude Martinez, "the villager should not leave the village". However, the conference pleaded in favour of relative mobility of labour, to provide "concrete solutions" for illegal immigration. Much emphasis was laid on these concerns during the exchanges of views within the framework of the second workshop, which focused on the theme of the sustainable management of resources.
The third and last workshop was devoted to "adding value to the Mediterranean identity". Those who spoke were committed to demonstrating that Mediterranean agricultural production has a specific nature which is insufficiently taken into account in both Brussels and Geneva. This production is "closely linked to culture" and history, explained Paolo Bedoni, President of the Italian organisation Coldiretti. One indication of this identity is that the majority (three quarters) of registered designations concern Mediterranean products (wines, cheeses, etc.).
The conference ended, said Mr Daul, on a "note of optimism", due to the fact that since 2005, a "road map for agriculture" has existed for the Euro-Mediterranean area. However, its "scope must be extended" if we are to get out of the "narrow circle of negotiations on trade concessions relative to specific products" and promote a "global approach to rural development". The creation of a Mediterranean Fund was called for. The President of the Economic Committee of the EMPA (Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly), Hashem Addabbas of Jordan, called for a Euro-Mediterranean agricultural bank to be set up. The need to improve the framework of incoming agricultural investment was also highlighted.