CEDIA Seminar and Exchange of views, with representatives of the various EU Institutions, Brussels, and a Representative of the Belgian Farmers organisation, Boerenbond.

Venue: Louvain Institute For Ireland In Europe, Louvain, Belgium

Present:
CEDIA Representatives from;

• Belgium
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• France
• Greece
• Ireland
• Italy
• Northern Ireland
• Portugal

This meeting was held in conjunction with a CEDIA Board Meeting and gave delegates an opportunity to discuss developments in Community Agricultural Policy and the wider issues at European Union Level of Interest. An opportunity was also taken to visit the European Parliament.

The following items were discussed:

1. Developments with regards the European Constitution and consequential changes to Community Institutional arrangements;

Dr. Margaret Malone a specialist in the European Constitution was facilitator.
The institutions and the decision make processes of the EU were discussed, in particular the constitutional changes which were initiated to facilitate improving the decision making process in the context of the Nice Treaty, and the main proposals contained in the proposed Constitutional Treaty for Europe 2004.
Proposals discussed included:

• A President for the European Council
• A New European Minister for Foreign Affairs
• European Parliament – (750 Seats)
• Council of Ministers (co-decision expanded)
• Team Presidencies
• Voting - Increase in and simplified system of voting (55% MS plus 65% European Population)
• Commissioners (Reduction in Commissioners – only two thirds of member states represented by a commissioner from 2014
• An enhanced scrutiny role for national parliaments in EU Law

The overall objective being increased, efficiency, democracy and transparency.

Reference: http://www.europa.eu

Enlargement of European Union.
Presentation followed by discussion: Catherine Combette (DG Agriculture, Unit for Enlargement). Topics addressed:

• Immediate Enlargement - Romanian and Bulgaria (2007), Croatia, Western Balkans, Turkey further in the future
• “The European Neighbourhood” which includes Belarus, Ukraine, Algeria and Morocco
• Criteria for EU membership
• Progress with the various applications
• Pre accession projects (e.g.. IPARD)
  

2. CAP Policy Developments
Presentation and discussion - Danielle Bianchi member of Cabinet of Commissioner Fischer Boel

Topics addressed

• 2003 Review/Single Farm Payments, cross compliance as well as
  • Protection of the Environment
  • Public Health
  • WTO Trade Issues
    
• CAP Health Check 2009
  Process to start in 2007 (first a listening period with main discussion being initiated in 2008) Issues include :-
  • Completion of the 2003 reforms
  • Modulation - transfers from pillar one to pillar two
  • Rates of payment and basis of SFP e.g. per farm/ per hectare rather than on historical production?
  • Future re Market Organisation
  • Future re Intervention, Milk Quotas, aids to private storage, set aside
  • Financing of community budget and especially that of CAP

• Common Organisation of the Market
  • Reduction of COM’s from 21 to 1
  • Harmonisation of rules re commodities

• Re-Launch of debate on the Constitution - may have a negative Impact on CAP
  • No updates on objectives of Treaty have taken place since 1957, (Rural Development, Quality, Animal Welfare not included)
  • Greater use of co-decision (Council and Parliament) procedure in adaptation of legislation (a step toward a more democratic process?)

3. Rural Development Policy and Programmes

Presentation and discussion: Josefine Loriz-Hoffman, DG Agriculture - Head of Unit for Rural Development Programmes.
Issues discussed included:

• Rural Development Policy 2007 – 2013
• Challenges facing Rural areas (Socio Economic, Environmental, Enlargement Implications).
• CAP Policy History (changes in support mechanisms etc)
• Policy Implications, of various initiatives e.g. Nice and Gothenburg Treaties, and the Salzburg Conference on Rural Development

The Core objectives of Rural Development policy were identified as:

• Improving competitiveness,
• Enhancing the environment,
• Improving quality of life/diversity of economic activity.
  The Programme consists of three axis, to include; Training, Land Management, Off Farm Diversification plus the Leader initiative
  

The Leader Initiative 2007-2013 period (Area based and bottom up approach)

It was noted that:

• While a fund of 90 Billion was requested the final funding agreed was 69 Billion Euros.
• Financial procedures were streamed lined to include one joint management/ financial control programme system
• Member states provide National Strategic plans with targets and indicators.

4. Food Safety /Health (GMO’S, Food Safety, Imports/Labelling/Traceability

Mr Michael Scannell discussed the background and community initiatives to address food safety issues. This included discussion and exchange of views on the introduction of new community legislation, the establishment of the European food safety Authority, new internal arrangements (e.g. DG SANCO established) and procedures e.g. food and feed management committee, as well as revised arrangements with countries exporting food and feed to EU. Detailed discussion took place with respect to GMO’S. e.g. implications for EU animal production of EU delays / failure to approve popular GM varieties approved and grown in the US and South America, when also approved by the EU food safety authority.

5. 2008 CAP Review Objectives

Jerzy Glucksman DG Agriculture (Information &Communications officer)
The Objectives of the review were identified as (to examine/address post 2013):

• Cost / Sustainability
• Simplification
• Distribution of support

It was noted that CAP accounted for 42% of EU budget.

Models for decoupling, current support mechanisms to include the options/ hybrids currently in operation in various member states, as well as possible future arrangements, were discussed. It was noted that total decoupling with no derogations was only in operation in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Full decoupling was expected to be generally achieved in other member States, most likely by 2009/10. Entitlements/SFP cross compliance and set a side would also to be reviewed. The continued acceptance by society of the CAP budget and direct payments to farmers could be an issue? Future of intervention, quotas, set a side – most likely to be discontinued; – termination of most export refunds agreed to take place by 2014.

6. Environmental issues – to include Reps/Nitrates etc
Michael Hamill DG Agriculture

The nitrates/ soil Directives / water pollution and Reps were discussed. It was noted that this directive was agreed in 1991 following huge eutrification in European waters to include the Adriatic, Mediterranean, Baltic seas etc generally accepted as arising from Nitrogen and Phosphate pollution. Sources included untreated wastewater (domestic and industry) and agricultural which was more insidious. The strategy adopted to address these problems to include monitoring and individual country approaches and programmes were outlined. Nutrient management plans; rates and times of application; manure and slurry storage and handling arrangements were discussed.
Developments with respect to the European Union water framework Directive, the proposed Soils Directive and Reps 4 were outlined.

7. The Future of Agriculture in the context of CAP and World Trade.
Klass Dam – economic Adviser for Boerenbond (Belgian Farmers union)

The main issues discussed were:

• EU financial perspectives/ Government support for CAP.
  Issues discussed included:
  • The influence of enlargement and decoupled payments (EU Pop increased to 454 millions, farmers by 57% to 11 millions, and agricultural area by 28%, employment in Agriculture in EU 25 to 5.4%)
  • EU expenditure (less than 1% of all EU public expenditure goes to CAP, compared to 2/3% for NATO defence).
  • Contribution of CAP (Multi functionality -food security & quality and safety, Environmental protection, animal welfare, sustainability of rural communities
  • Need to better sell the image of farming to the public.
• Market Outlook
  Outlook was regarded as positive with particularly good prospects for cereals and milk products
• WTO
• Main discussion areas re agriculture:
  Domestic support, Market access (tariffs), Export refunds, - the three main pillars of the negotiations, as well as Export credits, State trading enterprises, special safeguard mechanisms for developing countries, Food Aid, and sanitary and phytosanitary issues.
  Details were provided re timing and scale of the tariff and trade distorting domestic support reductions proposed and arrangements for sensitive products. The possibility of green box payments being challenged as having trade distorting effects even when support was provided through policies that decouple subsidies from production, together with its
  implications for EU, was also discussed.

8) Continuous professional Development (CPD)
Andrew Stewart (NIIAS & chairman Agrilink)

Details of a EU funded Interreg project was outlined. This included a survey of the training requirements of agricultural graduates in the North and South of Ireland in the context of continuous professional development as well as an online tool developed to assist graduates with their own specific personal development programme.

Note: Dr Dermot Ruane President of ASA, and Sean Gaule representative of ASA to CEDIA attended.

Presidency Running Order 2007 to 2020

• Germany Jan – June 2007
• Portugal July – Dec 2007
• Slovenia Jan – June 2008
• France July – Dec 2008
• Czech Rep Jan –June 2009
• Sweden July – Dec 2009
• Spain Jan – June 2010
• Belgium July – Dec 2010
• Hungary Jan –June 2011
• Poland July – Dec 2011
• Denmark Jan –June 2012
• Cyprus July – Dec 2012
• Ireland Jan –June 2013
• Lithuania July – Dec 2013
• Greece Jan – June 2014
• Italy July – Dec 2014
• Latvia Jan – June 2015
• Luxembourg July – Dec 2015
• Netherlands Jan – June 2016
• Slovakia July – Dec 2016
• Malta Jan – June 2017
• UK July – Dec 2017
• Estonia Jan –June 2018
• Bulgaria July –Dec 2018
• Austria Jan –June 2019
• Romania July –Dec 2019
• Finland Jan – June 2020

Posted by Sean Gaule