Finland opened the discussion on future challenges of European agriculture
During the Presidency of the EU Finland launched the discussion concerning the state of the European model of agriculture and the challenges ahead for the agriculture sector in Europe at the meeting of the EU Agriculture Ministers in Oulu. All Member States welcomed this initiative, which also marked the starting point for the planning and development of the common agricultural policy after 2013. The next major challenges will be the simplification of the common agricultural policy, so-called health-checks, and mid-term review of the EU budget frameworks.
The Finnish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Juha Korkeaoja is very pleased with the achievements. ”The discussion on the future of the common agricultural policy has got off to a good start. It is noteworthy that this is the first time when the eastern European countries are also involved in the decision-making processes. Despite the obvious challenges due to the enlargement, the work has gone very well.”
The proposal for a regulation on spirit drinks presented by the Presidency won extensive support in the Council. The decision on the proposal will be made in accordance with the codecision procedure with the European Parliament. The Parliament will take a vote on its opinion in the plenary session in March 2007. Very likely the decision will follow the proposal made by Finland.
The priorities of the Finnish Presidency included the report concerning the aid scheme for energy crops and the Commission proposal for amending the scheme. The majority of the Member States support the extension of the aid scheme to all Member States. The decision on the proposal was made in the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The decisions on the reform of the banana sector, which used to be considered quite problematic, were also made at the December meeting. For the most part the aid for banana producers will be incorporated into the existing POSEI programme for the agricultural sectors of the outermost regions of the EU.
A general approach concerning organic production and labelling of organic products was reached at the December Council.
Finland advanced the processing of fisheries issues and settled a number of regulations on fisheries
The working practices of fisheries issues were reformed quite strongly during the Finnish Presidency. Decisions on fishing opportunities were advanced and they were divided into three parts according to the sea areas. The Council decided on the fishing opportunities for the Baltic Sea for 2007 already in October and the decisions on the fishing effort for deep sea species for 2007 - 2008 were made in November. The rest of the Community waters and certain international waters were left to the December Council because of late scientific advice. Advancing the decisions improves the possibilities to plan the activities for the following year and supports the sustainable utilisation of the fish stocks.
The processing of the proposal concerning the fisheries technical measures for Mediterranean fishing, which had taken for almost four years, and the proposal for electronic recording and reporting of fishing activities were completed during the Finnish Presidency.
In November Finland, together with the European Commission, held a Conference on the Community Animal Health Policy 2007-2013, and Presidency conclusions were adopted on the basis of the results of this Conference. The Directive concerning the health requirements for aquaculture animals and on the prevention and control of certain diseases in aquatic animals was also adopted during the Finnish Presidency The processing of the Directive proposal was started in a Council Working Party chaired by Finland already during the Austrian Presidency. Decision amending Decision 90/424/EEC on expenditure in the veterinary field was also adopted, allowing the financing of multi-annual programmes for preventing animal diseases and zoonoses.
In the forest sector the main task of the Finnish Presidency was to prepare the EU positions for decisions to be made at the seventh session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) in April 2007, where the UNFF should adopt a global document concerning all world's forests, i.e. the so-called non-legally binding instrument on forests. Finland directed the preparation of the conclusions concerning the EU Forest Action Plan (2007-2011), and they were adopted at the October Council. The conclusions also included a proposal for better coordination of the forest issues in the EU.
Further information at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Agricultural Counsellor Taina Vesanto, tel. 358 (0)40 740 9415
Counsellor of Fisheries Orian Bondestam, tel. 358 (0)40 039 2011
Director-General Matti Aho, tel. 358 (0)40 516 9857 (veterinary medicine, organic production)
Senior Adviser Kaisa Pirkola, tel. 358 (0)40 759 7936 (forests)
