Brussels, 17/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - EU agriculture and fisheries ministers will meet from 11: 00 on Monday 21 January to learn about the new Slovenian presidency's work programme, debate the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) “health check” and negotiate a political agreement on the proposal to simplify cross-compliance rules for aid. Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Joe Borg will inform the Council of progress in the ongoing discussions on the review of the fisheries protocol with Mauritania.
Slovenian presidency programme. Slovenian Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Iztok Jarc will present an overview of the Council work programme for the first six months of 2008 in agriculture and fisheries. In a document, the presidency says that “further changes and adjustments of the CAP are indispensable”. It also intends to push for greater simplification of the CAP rules.
Among the priority agriculture issues feature: - the CAP “health check”; - the pursuit of sectoral reform (formal adoption of the reform of the wine sector, new aid scheme for cotton producers, increase in milk quotas for marketing year 2008, renewal of the support scheme in the linen and hemp sector, Community funding to restructure the tobacco production sector); - simplification of the CAP (cross-compliance of aid, single common market organisation).
The Slovenian presidency wants to deal with several issues in the field of health, such as banning certain hormones, setting maximum residue limits for active pharmacological substances present in animal-based foodstuffs, and simplification of health rules on animal by-products. The proposal on the marketing of plant health products is seen by the Slovenian presidency as a priority.
The most important issues in fisheries are: - the proposal seeking to prevent illegally fished products entering the EU; - the proposal for protecting marine ecosystems from destructive fishing activities; - new recovery plans for fish stocks under threat (cod, herring).
CAP health check. The Council will hold a policy debate on the Commission communication on the CAP “health check”. To help structure the debate, the presidency has prepared a questionnaire on the general response to the Commission communication (see EUROPE 9580). The presidency expects Council conclusions on the “health check” to be adopted in March, in order to allow the Commission to adopt legislative proposals in May.
Cross-compliance. The Council is likely to reach a political agreement on the proposal to simplify current rules on cross compliance (payment of aid dependent on certain environmental, animal welfare, etc, criteria being met). The presidency compromise package provides for: - the abolition of the 10-month rule (to qualify for single payments, land must be at the claimant's disposal for at least ten months in each year); - the possibility of not reducing direct payments for minor infringements; - the introduction of a de minimis rule under which relatively small reductions in aid (€100 in the proposal) will not be applied to farmers, but instead a warning letter will be sent; - the phasing in of cross-compliance rules in the new member states (there is still debate in Council on the timescale). The European Parliament opinion on the proposal was adopted on 11 December 2007 (see EUROPE 9562).
Mauritania. The Commission is expected to inform the Council about the ongoing discussions with Mauritania (see EUROPE 9581). The Commission proposes to review the protocol which sets fishing possibilities and the financial contribution. The protocol (for a period of two years renewable) is provided for in the fisheries partnership agreement between the EU and Mauritania. The current protocol expires on 1 August 2008. (L.C.)