Brussels, 20/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - European agricultural organisations have called on EU agriculture ministers, meeting in Council in Brussels on Tuesday 20 February, to reject the proposal for a framework directive for soil protection (see EUROPE 9368). In a press release published on Monday 19 February, the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the EU (COPA) and the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU (COGECA) point out that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Community environmental legislation “already contain a whole series of measures to protect soil”. The two organisations believe that these measures, some of which were introduced in 2005 (such as cross compliance, which allows agricultural aid to be granted on condition that certain standards of environmental protection are observed) “must be given the chance to prove their worth and be properly assessed before further legislation is introduced”. COPA and COGECA feel that the proposed directive could increase the level of bureaucracy for farmers. In addition, European farmers believe that the Commission proposal “runs counter to the principle of subsidiarity” since, unlike water and air, “soil has few cross-border implications”. National soil protection strategies are considerably more appropriate than a directive since they “can take account of the regional differences existing in the European Union”, stress the two EU agricultural organisations. Their full position is available on the internet site http://www.copacogeca (lc)