Brussels, 21/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - EU agriculture and fisheries ministers will be meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 April 2009, chaired by Czech minister Petr Gandaloviè, where they will adopt a conclusions document on sharks and make their first reaction to the Green Paper on reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP) and the agricultural development strategy. Fisheries issues will be discussed in the afternoon of Thursday 23 April (from 3.00pm to 7.00pm) and farm-related issues, like slimlining the common agricultural policy (CAP) will be examined on the Friday, starting at 9.30am.
Shark conservation action plan. The ministers will attempt to reach agreement on a conclusions document analysing the EU's shark conservation and management action plan, prepared by the European Commission. The plan has three aims - increasing knowledge about shark fishing, shark biology and how sharks fit into the marine environment; ensuring sustainable, targeted shark fishing and suitable shark fishing quotas that fit in with other types of fishing; and encouraging a joined-up approach between the EU's shark, ray and rabbit fish (chimaera) policies and those of other countries of the world.
Green Paper on CFP reform. Joe Borg, EU Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner, will present the contents of the Green Paper on CFP reform, unveiled on 22 April 2009.
Fish farming. The European Commission will present its report on the sustainable development of fish farming in the EU. The use of fish products in animal feed and human food is steadily increasing and given the sorry state of some fish stocks in the wild, fish farming can help meet this growing demand for seafood. Nearly half the fish eaten in the world already come from fish farms.
Simplifying the CAP. The Council will hold a policy debate on a European Commission report on simplification of the CAP to the benefit of all, and a memorandum from the Czech Presidency entitled “A Simplified Common Agricultural Policy: What next?”. The ministers will be asked to indicate which areas of the CAP they feel should be simplified first.
Aid for disadvantaged regions. The European Commission will present to the ministers a report examining the aid system for disadvantaged regions (see related section later in this article) and the Council will hold a preliminary exchange of views on the issue. The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) focusses on: improving the competitiveness of the farm and forestry industries (section I); improving the environment (section II); promoting quality of life and diversification in rural areas (section III). The LEADER programme also aims to encourage measures for the countryside (section IV). One of the flagship measures in section II aims to support disadvantaged regions. Such regions are defined differently across the EU and this can lead to differences in the aid beneficiaries from one country to the next and the Commission therefore argues that a coherent approach is needed that applies uniformly across the whole of the EU, based on comparable and clearly defined criteria.
Various fisheries issues - piracy, eels and porpoises. The Spanish delegation will brief the Council on recent attacks by Somali pirates on ships in the fisheries zone of the Seychelles and north-east of Madagascar, regions where the EU's tuna fleet regularly fishes. The Commission will draw the Council's attention to delays in member states receiving payment from the dues under the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). The EFF programming period started in 2007. All operational programmes have now been adopted. The required management and monitoring programmes should have been implemented in the following twelve months but things are taking far longer than expected and there are serious delays. Much of the EFF funding has not yet been spent. The Dutch delegation will voice its concerns about eel stocks and will request a ban on eel and eel product imports and exports. The Dutch will also raise the issue of fishing using encircling gillnets off the coast and the impact this is having in terms of by-catches of porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Porpoises have now moved to the southern area of the North Sea and are often caught up in gillnets. Last winter, the Netherlands reported some two hundred porpoises washed up on its coastline, an abnormally high number.
Other agricultural issues. Romania will ask the Council and Commission to take urgent action to help Romanian farmers in the form of a top-up of direct farm payments for 2009. The country is asking for what it says is not a very high top-up (of between 30% and 55%, or around €35 per hectare) but, given that the total EU funding that Romanian farmers can claim is around €117 per hectare, this will make a huge difference in support. If the ministers agree to the request in principle, a draft Council regulation will have to be presented by the Commission. Denmark is planning to raise the question of the future of the signing-off procedure for financial accounts. There will also be discussions on the crisis in the pork meat sector. (L.C./transl.fl)