Finland ontevreden met "reserve-agentschap" (en)
Auteur: Luise Hemmer Pihl
The Finnish food industry is disappointed that instead of becoming the location for the European Food Authority, Finland will host the new Chemical Authority, writes Helsingin Sanomat.
The two year old battle between Finland and Italy on the location of the EU Food Authority was brought to an end during this weekend's Summit.
According to Ekot/Sveriges Radio the result was brought about by a sleight of hand which enraged the Finns and threatened to cause a breakdown in the negotiations on the distribution of EU agencies.
A deadlock on the issue of location had been temporarily solved at the Laeken Summit in 2000 by placing the Agency in Brussels.
The Italian Presidency then told the Finns that the Agency had better remain in Brussels as the Commission had found that that was the best location. Both Helsinki and Rome agreed on this, and, in compensation, Finland received the new Chemicals Agency.
But last week when the Italian Presidency presented the proposal for the distribution of authorities, a change had been made. The new list placed the Food Agency in Parma, Italy - where Italy had always wanted it.
The Finnish negotiators were furious and for some time the Finnish government threatened to veto the entire proposal.
The government's official line is that everything went according to plan. According to Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen the Chemicals Agency was the second most important agency to be located and that the plans to switch from the Food Authority dated back to the Rome Summit in October, writes Helsingin Sanomat.
Some time away yet
According to Finnish civil servants, the Chemicals Agency may not come into being for at least three years, Hufvudstadsbladet reports.
Recently the Commission presented a 1,200 page proposal for a Chemicals Directive which is set to take a long time to go through the cogs of both European Parliament and Council.
The process is likely to be further delayed by the European Parliament elections in June and the forming of the new Commission in Autumn 2004.