Brussels, 14/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - With current tensions reigning on certain raw material markets and major deadlines coming inexorably closer, including the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) “Health Check” and final negotiation of reform of the wine sector, the informal meeting of the 27 EU agriculture ministers, held in Porto from Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 September, will be no picnic. This is all the more true as the recent speech delivered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the “new” CAP, and the European Commission's kick-off to debates on review of Community expenditure, could loosen a few tongues among those invited to the gathering by Portugal's agriculture minister, Jaime Silva.
During the first two days, which will be used to visit farms in the Douro Valley (Porto and “Vinho Verde” wines), EU agriculture minsters will be able to leisurely cover the most topical issues in the presence of the agriculture and rural development commissioner. Such issues include: - the surge in the price of some cereals and milk; - the CAP Health Check (Commission communication of 20 November, EUROPE 9473); - and reform of the common market organisation (CMO) for wine (to be finalised by the end of the year - see EUROPE 9469 on the last Agriculture Council debate on this).
Agri-food sector and the rural world
The importance of the agri-food industry for the lasting development of rural areas: such is the theme of the agriculture ministers' working session on Tuesday 18 September. The Portuguese EU Council presidency invites member states to give their views on: modulation of direct aid (a cut in subsidies to strengthen rural development funding), balance between the first and second pillars of the CAP (direct and market aid, and rural development respectively), and ways to strengthen the competitiveness of agri-food companies while safeguarding territorial cohesion.
Wine and sugar discussed by member state experts
On Monday 17 September, the Special Agriculture Committee (SAC) will look at the proposals for reform of the CMO for wine in order to prepare the next Agriculture Council's policy debate on 26 September in Brussels. It will also take stock of the dossier concerning restructuring of the sugar sector. We would point out that the Commission has put forward measures to encourage the sector to give up as much as 3.8 million tonnes of sugar quotas by the end of September 2010. The Portuguese EU presidency will put a draft compromise to experts on reactivating the restructuring plan for the sugar sector, in the aim of reaching a Council agreement on 26 September, one day after the European Parliament opinion has been adopted. The timetable is very tight as, in order to be implemented at the beginning of the next marketing year, the new provisions should be published in the EU Official Journal by 31 October at the latest.
Threat of epizootics
EU agriculture minsters will perhaps also discuss the disastrous financial consequences for farmers of the various epizootics that have broken out in several EU countries (avian flu in Germany, bluetongue in sheep in northern Europe, and foot-and-mouth in the United Kingdom). The European Commission will therefore adopt, on Wednesday 19 September, a communication by Markos Kyprianou, Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner, on the Community strategy on animal health over the next six years. Kyprianou's services recommend several measures to: - make farmers more accountable for costs entailed by epizootics; - better prevent financial risks in the event of crisis (cost and responsibility sharing, intervention by insurance firms); - review the Community budget devoted to safeguarding animal health; - and step up border controls to combat illegal trade. (lc)