Brussels, 25/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - During a speech delivered on Saturday 23 February at the International Agriculture Fair in Paris, Nicolas Sarkozy repeated that he will seize the opportunity provided by the fact that France is to hold EU Council Presidency from July to December 2008 to discuss the long-term objectives of Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). A compromise on the aims of a modernised CAP must be found before the discussions in 2010 on reviewing policies and on the European Union budget, the French president said. In his view, those who want to destroy the CAP “do not believe in Europe” and “there is no reason” why the road should be left free for “American farmers”.
On the subject of WTO negotiations on free trade (Doha Round), Nicolas Sarkozy said he regretted that Europe accepts “ever larger concessions, without anything in return”. France will firmly oppose any agreement that will sacrifice the interests of French and European agriculture, Mr Sarkozy said, recalling that, as unanimity is needed (from member states to approve the agreement resulting from the talks in Geneva), “each and everyone of us must assume our responsibilities”.
In addition to the work on the CAP Health Check, which is to end under French EU Council Presidency, Nicolas Sarkozy trusts, during the second half of the year, to bring EU member states to a consensus on the aims of the CAP in 2013, saying: “It is not a matter of questioning the agreement on the budget, which is to run until 2013, or of pre-empting the next discussion on the general review of Community policies. It is a matter of giving CAP fresh consistency, of reaching an agreement on the objectives that should underpin it”. The discussion on the budget will come after (in 2010). “We shall not talk of the budget until we have reached agreement on the aims. We shall agree on the aims and then we shall set up a budget to the service of these aims”, Mr Sarkozy explained. France defends the following CAP objectives: - food safety (regular supply with safety guarantees); - participation in world food balances (taking account of growing food demand, mainly in Asia); - and regional balance.
Mr Sarkozy also spoke of the “renewed Community preference” (creating conditions for a market in which to develop European agriculture “which has our preference over the others”) and recommended instruments allowing productive activity to be maintained in vulnerable areas (grazing and mountainous areas). The debate on the new CAP objectives will be headed by the European Council of Ministers for Agriculture. “Naturally, as President of the Union, I shall pay particular attention to this”, Sarkozy said. The president is convinced that CAP must be “renewed, recast”. (L.C.)