Brussels, 21/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Jean-Michael Lemetayer, president of the Committee of Agricultural Organisations in the EU (COPA), has called on EU heads of state and government to redefine the objectives and missions of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) before taking a decision on financing for after 2013. During a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday 16 May on the 2007-2009 priorities of the professional organisation's new presidency, Mr Lemetayer also said that the European Commission has already gone too far in the concessions that the EU would be willing to make to facilitate a WTO agreement on trade liberalisation.
CAP objectives and missions. According to the new COPA president, it is time to “get things back into order. We call on our heads of state and government to take part in a real substantive debate on the objectives and missions that they wish to assign to European agriculture”. He takes the view that it is only once this has been done that the EU will be able to fix the relevant policies and budget. Mr Lemetayer in fact fears that agricultural policies will be conditioned by budgetary restraints on the part of member states. It is necessary to redefine the “missions of this vast area of economic and social activity with this huge market that represents hundreds of millions of European consumers”, the COPA president concluded.
CAP mid-term review and budget. COPA considers that the CAP mid-term review in 2008 should bring “at most adjustments” to policies and not “a fundamental bringing into question”. Mr Lemetayer was highly critical of the vagueness (of some countries) when it comes to the budget, given that the European Council (October 2002) has already “voted the means for this policy until 2013”. He has a meeting scheduled with Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel on 30 May to discuss preparations for the mid-term review and, in September and October, the Commission is due to present a first paper on this.
Doha Round. “It is time to say 'stop'”, Mr Lemetayer said. He considers the EU and Peter Mandelson (Trade Commissioner) may be mistaken in their negotiation strategy as they “put everything on the table and let our WTO partners believe we could still go a little further”. At the end of the day, “the EU will have given all and got nothing back”, added Mr Lemetayer. EU professionals in the sector are now encouraging Commission negotiators to be “intransigent with regard to the United States”. Furthermore, Lemetayer, who is also president of the FNSEA (Fédération nationale des syndicates d'exploitants agricoles, France), has called on the new French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to “show firmness in talks” at the WTO.
COPA also hopes to soon adopt a joint declaration on the Doha Round with the agricultural organisations of Japan, Korea, Switzerland and Norway. The professionals of these four countries “are just as furious as we are” about the latest proposals put forward by Crawford Falconer (President of the WTO committee on agricultural negotiations). COPA rejects Mr Falconer's document as it calls on the EU to open up its markets even more, still leaves the United States a great margin for manoeuvre to conserve subsidies that distort tradem and does not take into account the non-trade aspects and the protection of geographic indications - that the EU considers essential elements for agreement.
Cross compliance. “The farming world feels it is sufficiently responsible not to have to come under so much administrative control”, commented Mr Lemetayer, denouncing the many constraints that arise from cross compliance rules with regard to agricultural subsidies.
Internal challenge. COPA has also extended to the new member states. “The major internal challenge will be to ensure that, however many are around the table, we are able to reach common positions as quickly as possible”. The aim is to allow COPA to make its voice heard even louder and clearer by political decision-makers. To “fine-tune our working methods”, a specific group has been set up to clarify the role of the presidency (one president and 6 vice-presidents), the presidium (one representative per member organisation) and the various COPA working groups. According to Mr Lemetayer, the working groups should be made more effective to facilitate rapid transmission of COPA positions on the different agricultural subjects to the president and vice-presidents. (lc)