Brussels, 21/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said in Mainz on Sunday 20 May that member states had reached agreement on the sensitive issue of the public purchase of maize. The political agreement on setting the intervention mechanism at zero for maize will, however, have to be approved by European agriculture ministers on 11 June (see EUROPE 9414).
The efforts expended by the German presidency on its compromise proposal on maize intervention finally paid off. Last week, it was able to note a qualified majority within the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) in favour of a three-stage “soft landing” for the maize intervention mechanism. The compromise text provides for: - setting a ceiling of 1.5 million tonnes for maize intervention for the 2007-2008 marketing year; - reducing this volume to 700,000 tonnes the following year (2008-2009); - and ultimately reducing this ceiling to zero in 2009-2010.
The formal decision to abolish the public purchase of maize will, therefore, not be taken immediately. It will be assessed during the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) health check, scheduled for 2008, at the same time as a wider debate on the various market measures in force in the cereals sector. In addition, the compromise states that maize intervention could still be a “safety net” in the event of a crisis on the market. The Commission will be authorised to suggest to the management committee that intervention should be re-established temporarily in “exceptional circumstances”.
Initially, the Commission proposed to abolish maize intervention as of 2007-2008. The presidency's compromise text takes account of the objections of the main countries affected (Spain and Hungary). Maize intervention “will be phased to zero” acknowledged the commissioner. (lc)