Voorbereiding Landbouw- en Visserijraad januari 2007

The Agriculture & Fisheries Council will meet in Brussels on Monday 29 January (starting at 11 a.m.) under the Presidency of Mr Horst Seehofer, Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of Germany.

Mariann Fischer Boel i and Markos Kyprianou i will be at the Council meeting for their respective points. Stavros Dimas will attend the meeting for the AOB point "Thematic strategy for soil protection". There are no Fisheries points on the agenda.

The German Presidency invites the Ministers for lunch. Theme for discussion: "Work programme of the Presidency".

A press conference is scheduled at the end of the Council meeting.

The points on the agenda are:

Work programme of the Presidency

The German Presidency will outline the main priorities in the field of agriculture, food safety and fisheries for the first semester of 2007.

Agriculture

Reform of the fruit and vegetables sector

On 24 January, the European Commission proposed wide-ranging reforms to the Common Market Organisation for fruit and vegetables to bring this sector into closer line with the rest of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy. The proposals aim to improve the competitiveness and market orientation of the F&V sector, reduce income fluctuations resulting from crises, increase consumption, enhance environmental protection and, where possible, simplify the rules and reduce the administrative burden. The reform would encourage more growers to join Producer Organisations; offer POs a wider range of tools for crisis management; integrate the F&V sector into the Single Payment Scheme; require a minimum level of spending on environmental measures; higher EU funding of organic production and promotional measures; and abolish export subsidies for F&V.

The Commission hopes that the Council and Parliament will approve the reform, which will be budget neutral, before the middle of 2007, allowing it to enter into force in 2008.

Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel will present the reform proposal to the Ministers, followed by a first exchange of views.

Press releases, the reform proposal and impact analysis, an info pack and further information on the reform are available on the internet at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/capreform/fruitveg/index_en.htm

Maize intervention

On 15 December 2006, the European Commission proposed to abolish the system of public intervention purchases for maize from the 2007/2008 marketing year (see IP/06/1818 and COM(2006)755). At the end of the 2005/2006 marketing season, EU maize intervention stocks had spiralled to 5.6 million tonnes, or 40 percent of total intervention stocks. Without changes to the current system, these stocks, which are bought and stored at public expense, are forecast to rise to as much as 15.6 million tonnes by 2013. Possible outlets for soaring stocks of maize are limited, and maize is unsuitable for long-term storage. Regions that historically exported maize onto the world market are now offering a large part of their harvest directly for intervention. Ending intervention for maize would allow the EU cereals market to achieve a new balance and see intervention regain its original purpose as a safety net.

Presentation of the proposal by the Commission and first exchange of views.

General rules for financing of interventions

On 17 January, the European Commission proposed specific measures to alleviate the financial burden on Member States for advancing the cost of public intervention (see COM(2007)12). The proposal is an amendment to the Regulation laying down general rules for the financing of interventions by the EAGGF (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund).

According to this Regulation, Member States have to advance the cost of intervention purchases and storage, before it is reimbursed by the EU budget. The interest rate to cover the Member States costs of mobilisation of funds aimed to finance the intervention is reimbursed by the EU budget until a certain level.

Following the recent increases in interest rates, certain Member States, which already have to bear significant financial charges due to the large quantities of cereals offered and stored into intervention, asked the Commission to ease the financial burden of this mobilisation of funds for a limited period of time.

Therefore the Commission proposed a temporary relief mechanism when the interest rates are exceptionally high.

Mariann Fischer Boel will present the proposal to the Ministers.

WTO - Doha Development Agenda Negotiations

Mariann Fischer Boel will update Ministers on the state of play of the talks after different meetings that took place in Davos, in the margins of the World Economic Forum.

AOB

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  Cross-compliance.
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  Drought in Cyprus and throughout the Mediterranean Region; Serious consequences in the agriculture sector.
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  Forest calamity situation in the Czech Republic
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  Implementation of the simplified energy crops scheme in the New Member States from 2007.
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  Implementation of Complementary National Direct Payments (CNDP) from 2007.
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  Situation of the EU sugar market.

Food safety and animal health

Cat and dog fur

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council banning the placing on the market and the import of or export from the Community of cat and dog fur and products containing such fur.

The proposal (adopted on 20 November 2006 - see IP/06/1586 and MEMO/06/436) foresees a ban on the placing on the market, the import to and the export from the Community of cat and dog fur and products containing such fur. It is based on both Articles 95 (ban on trade) and 133 (ban on imports and exports) of the EC-Treaty, and has to be adopted by the co-Decision procedure. This will be the first exchange of views by Ministers on this issue.

AOB

Avian influenza

The Commission will provide an update with developments on Avian Influenza in the EU and third countries. The first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the EU since August 2006 has been recently detected in Hungary. The control measures foreseen by the AI Directive are applied.

Veterinary Negotiations between EC and the Russian Federation

Commissioner Kyprianou will provide an update on the latest developments, including his recent meeting with the Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev.

Environment

AOB

Thematic strategy for soil protection

The Austrian Delegation, supported by French and Hungarian Delegations, requested to put this point on the Agriculture Council agenda. Stavros Dimas, Environment Commissioner, will attend the Council meeting for this point.