Europe Agri articles from November 2007

Europe Agri archives from November 2007

INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, PRESIDENT OF THE REGION OF BRITTANY AND VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE CPMR : BLUE PAPER ON MARITIME POLICY: "HEADWAY AND FRUSTRATIONS".(Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions)(Interview)
November 9, 2007... The European Commission's Blue Paper on an integrated maritime policy creates both hopes and frustrations among stakeholders. Jean-Yves Le Drian, president of the Region of Brittany (France) and vice-president of the Conference of Peripheral...

OPEN FORUM - AEDA, THE ASSOCIATION OF SPANISH GINNERS : COTTON: SPANISH INDUSTRY RISKS DISAPPEARING.
November 9, 2007... The Spanish ginning sector has made a call to be heard in sight of the imminent reform of the cotton sector regime, which could lead to the disappearance of the Spanish cotton industry if urgent restructuration measures are not envisaged. ...

ENVIRONMENT : FRANCE AIMS TO PUSH FOR "MORE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE".
November 9, 2007... "We have a new ambition for a more sustainable agriculture. And it cannot be achieved through soil erosion or the growing use of dangerous chemical products. I will carry this message from the start of the French Presidency of the European...

REGIONAL POLICY : PARLIAMENT BECOMES FULLY ASSOCIATED ***.
November 9, 2007... The next set of regulations regarding the European Structural Funds will be negotiated under the ordinary legislative procedure, ie under co-decision with the European Parliament. This is the biggest change that the treaty has introduced with...

EU/RUSSIA/POLAND : RUSSIAN INSPECTORS STILL NOT ALLOWED INTO POLAND.
November 9, 2007... Poland's outgoing Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga has dismissed press reports saying that Warsaw had allowed Russia's veterinary inspectors to check Polish meat processing factories - a step seen by Moscow as a precondition to solving a meat trade...

REGIONS : A EUROPEAN LABEL FOR QUALITY RURAL PRODUCTS.
November 9, 2007... Using territorial identity as a means of differentiation in the context of the globalisation of markets, and through this, creating new marketing channels: this, in short, is the approach which has led to the creation, by the European rural...

ENLARGEMENT : CANDIDATE COUNTRIES MAKE MODEST PROGRESS IN AGRICULTURE.
November 9, 2007... In the field of agriculture and food safety, Croatia and Macedonia have made some progress in the transposition of the Community acquis for their accession to the European Union, while Turkey has practically not progressed at all, indicated the...

CEREALS JV OKAYED.
November 9, 2007... The European Commission gave its backing, on 31 October, to the acquisition of joint control over Dailycer Group (France) and DVG (Germany), both producers of ready-to-eat cereals and cereal bars that are mainly sold under retailers' own...

FISHERIES POLICY : CO-DECISION, FINALLY, FOR THE EU'S FISHERIES POLICY.
November 9, 2007... The new Treaty on the European Union (TEU) confers exclusive competence upon the EU in the area of the conservation of marine biological resources under the Common Fisheries Policy (Article 3) and a shared competence with member states in the...

COMMISSION AUTHORISES GMOS.(genetically modified organisms )(Brief article)
November 9, 2007... The European Commission adopted on 24 October decisions authorising three genetically modified (GM) maize varieties (1507xNK603; NK603 x MON810; and 59122 Herculex RW) for feed and food use and for import and processing. In addition, a GM sugar...

NITRATES : COMMISSION GRANTS DEROGATION TO IRELAND.
November 9, 2007... Ireland has been authorised, under a derogation from Directive 91/676/EEC on the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, to allow, under certain conditions, the application of livestock manure...

GMOS : COMMISSION IS THROWN BACK AGAINST THE ROPES.
November 9, 2007... It was no real surprise: the Council of environment ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on 30 October, failed to rally a qualified majority either in favour of or against the European Commission's proposal to oblige Austria to waive its safeguard...

FOODSTUFFS : CONDITIONAL GREEN LIGHT FOR DANONE'S ACQUISITION OF NUMICO.
November 9, 2007... The European Commission authorised, on 31 October, the acquisition of the Dutch company Numico by the French group Danone, provided both parties divest some of their overlapping activities in three countries. Numico and Danone are major...

RURAL DEVELOPMENT : DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES CLEARED.
November 9, 2007... The Rural Development Committee (consisting of representatives of the 27 member states) approved, on 25 October, the rural development programmes of Cyprus, Belgium (Flanders), Germany (three Lander), Italy (three regions) and Spain (national...

BIOTECHNOLOGY : DIMAS PROPOSES BANNING GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN.
November 9, 2007... It is a first: European Environment Commissioner Stravros Dimas announced to his colleagues, on 24 October, his intention to ban the cultivation in the EU of two types of genetically modified (GM) corn (Syngenta's BT11 and Pioneer/Dow's 1507),...

ENRD TENDER CALL.(Brief article)
November 9, 2007... The European Commission launched, on 26 October, a call for tender to provide technical assistance for the new European Network for Rural Development (ENRD). The network will offer support to rural development stakeholders in implementing the...

FISHING QUOTAS IN NORTH ATLANTIC.(Brief article)
November 9, 2007... The European Commission announced, on 31 October, that it had reached an agreement with several North Atlantic coastal states regarding 2008 fishing opportunities for blue whiting, Atlanto-Scandian herring and mackerel. In relation to the 2007...

FISHERIES : FORTY COUNTRIES PLEDGE TO BANISH ILLEGAL FISHERIES PRODUCTS.
November 9, 2007... The fisheries ministers of 40 countries, including the 27 EU member states, committed, on 29 October in Lisbon, to fighting the international trade of products from illegal fishing. "There is a clear commitment for establishing measures which...

PESTICIDES : MEPS OPT FOR RESTRICTED AUTHORISATION.
November 9, 2007... The use of pesticides is expected to gradually give way to alternative agricultural practices which are more environmentally friendly and better for human health. Or, at least this is the European Parliament's aim as confirmed on 23 October...

AGRICULTURAL POLICY : MEPS WILL HAVE THEIR SAY ON FUTURE POLICIES.
November 9, 2007... The new Treaty confers upon the European Parliament powers that are to be shared with the Council of Ministers in many areas, including agriculture (Article 4 TEU). As was foreseen in the discarded Constitutional Treaty of 2004, the new...

FISHERIES COUNCIL : MINISTERS AGREE ON BALTIC TACS AND QUOTAS.(regualtions on total allowable catches )
November 9, 2007... Fishing quotas are higher than the levels proposed by the European Commission, but that increase is offset by a reduction in the number of days at sea: that is the compromise reached by the EU fisheries ministers on 23 October in Luxembourg....

NAFO PROVISIONS UPDATED.(Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization)(Brief article)
November 9, 2007... The EU's Council of Ministers adopted, on 22 October, without debate, a regulation which establishes conservation and implementing measures in the regulatory area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO). This regulation, which...

BIOFUELS : OXFAM ISSUES FURTHER WARNING.
November 9, 2007... Ahead of European Commission proposals to promote renewables, now delayed till January 2008, Oxfam International issued an additional warning that EU plans to boost biofuels could spell "disaster". In a report entitled Bio-fuelling poverty....

EU/RUSSIA/POLAND : PRESSURE GROWING FOR SETTLEMENT OF TRADE DISPUTE.
November 9, 2007... Russia continues to be optimistic about the prospects for agreement with a new Polish government, led by Donald Tusk, on Russia's embargo of Polish meat and plant products. The issue has been holding up the launch of EU-Russia talks on a new...

DAIRY INDUSTRY : PRODUCERS VOICE CONCERNS OVER DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN.
November 9, 2007... With the many changes that will take place in the milk sector in the coming years, the CNAOL (French national council on dairy designations of origin) and the AFIDOP (association of Italian cheese designations of origin) have asked the EU...

RESTRUCTURING OF EUROPEAN VINEYARDS.
November 9, 2007... The European Commission plans to unblock a budget of 510 million for the restructuring and reconversion of vineyards in the EU in 2007-2008. This programme could benefit some 63,000 hectares, spread across the large wine-producing countries as...

POLAND-RUSSIA/MEAT : RUSSIA CALLS ON NEW POLISH GOVERNMENT TO MAKE FIRST MOVE.
November 9, 2007... The change of government in Poland following the election victory of Civic Platform - a strong critic of the outgoing government's hostile policy towards Russia - is likely to help Moscow to reach an agreement over the meat trade dispute with...

RUSSIAN INSPECTIONS IN POLAND.
November 9, 2007... Russia's authorities said on 7 November that Warsaw had agreed to allow Russian veterinary experts to carry out inspections in meat and diary factories across Poland. "The talks have just ended. Representatives of the EU and our Polish...

ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL : WATER SCARCITY AND DROUGHTS ARE IDENTIFIED AS PRIORITIES.
November 9, 2007... The Portuguese EU Presidency has succeeded partially in its attempt to boost the political importance attached to the issue of water scarcity and droughts. The conclusions adopted by the EU environment ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on 30...

ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS : ACP SUGAR PRODUCERS THREATEN ACTION AGAINST THE EU.
November 23, 2007... Sugar producers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries are threatening to take legal action against the EU if a satisfactory solution cannot be found to replace the Sugar Protocol in the framework of the negotiations for...

EU/US : COMMISSION PLEDGES TO HELP END CHICKEN IMPORT BAN.
November 23, 2007... Following intense US pressure at the 9 November Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC), the European Commission agreed to help end an EU ban on US poultry. A joint statement commits the Commission to "act to definitively resolve the long-standing...

FISHERIES POLICY : COMMISSION PRESENTS GUIDE PRICES FOR 2008.
November 23, 2007... Slight raise for white fish and shellfish but a decrease for pelagic species and frozen products. The European Commission, which adopted, on 15 November, its annual proposals for guide prices for fresh and frozen fish products as well as the...

FISHERIES POLICY : COMMISSION PROPOSES 2008 TACS FOR BLACK SEA.
November 23, 2007... For the first time since the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union on 1 January 2007, the European Commission is proposing fishing opportunities for fish stocks in the Black Sea. In these proposals, presented on 21 November,...

SHEEP AND GOATS : COMMISSION TO POSTPONE ELECTRONIC SHEEP TAGGING.(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... The European Commission has decided to propose postponing to 2009 the introduction of compulsory electronic identification in the EU for sheep and goats. This measure partly responds to the request from agricultural professional organisations,...

MILK PRODUCTS : EU SET TO LOOSEN UP MILK QUOTAS.
November 23, 2007... To give Community milk producers the chance to meet demand on both the European and export markets, the European Commission will be proposing, by year's end, a 2% increase in quotas for next year, ie from 1 April 2008. The measure would not...

FOODSTUFFS : EU TO IMPOSE NUTRITIONAL LABELLING.
November 23, 2007... The European Commission is expected to suggest, in the draft revision of legislation on the labelling of foodstuffs which it is expected to soon propose, that nutritional information be made compulsory, including for alcoholic beverages such as...

TUNA : EU TO PAY FOR 2007 BLUEFIN TUNA QUOTA OVERSHOOT.(European Union. European Commission)
November 23, 2007... Though it had to accept paying compensation for exceeding its fishing quotas, the European Commission says it is satisfied with the results of the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)...

EU/JAPAN : EU URGES TOKYO TO CALL OFF WHALE HUNT.
November 23, 2007... "Concerned" by Japan's recommencement of whale hunting on 18 September, the European Commission has urged the Japanese government to "reconsider" its decision and put an end to the hunting. It is imperative, it says, that the international...

FOODSTUFFS : KRAFT BUY OF DANONE BISCUITS GETS CONDITIONAL APPROVAL.
November 23, 2007... US-based company Kraft will be allowed to purchase the worldwide biscuits, snacks and cereals business of Danone. The European Commission approved the acquisition on 9 November on the condition that Kraft divests a range of Spanish biscuit...

LEADER+ CONFERENCE IN PORTUGAL.
November 23, 2007... The European Commission sponsorised a Leader+ conference, in Evora (Portugal) on 22 and 23 November to spotlight the achievements of this Community initiative for rural development at the conclusion of its three programming periods (1991-1993,...

COTTON : MARGINAL CORRECTION TO REFORM OF COTTON CMO.
November 23, 2007... On 9 November, the European Commission presented its draft reform of the common market organisation (CMO) for cotton. The proposal is not expected to go against the scheme adopted in April 2004 by the Council. Following a series of impact...

AGRICULTURAL POLICY : MARIANN FISCHER BOEL WRITES A PRESCRIPTION FOR THE CAP.
November 23, 2007... The prescription written by the European Commission - under the exercise it is referring to as the health check' of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - is some 12 pages long. The patient is the CAP as reformed in June 2003, under the...

ENVIRONMENT : PARLIAMENT CLEARS SOIL PROTECTION DIRECTIVE.
November 23, 2007... An inventory of contaminated sites on EU territory must be drawn up and remediation strategies encouraged, while giving the member states some flexibility in their choice of action. That is the message put out by the European Parliament with...

BLUEFIN TUNA : PARLIAMENT SUPPORTS COMPENSATION DURING FISHERY CLOSINGS.
November 23, 2007... While approving the stock recovery measures proposed by the European Commission for bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, the European Parliament rejected the derogations relating to specific fishing areas and minimum catch...

DOHA ROUND : PRESENTATION OF NEW TEXTS POSTPONED UNTIL DECEMBER.(Brief article)
November 23, 2007... The consultations currently taking place at the World Trade Organisation with a view to re-launching the Doha Round of international trade talks are once again behind schedule and are expected to last until December at least. The new compromise...

PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION : PRODUCERS OF HAND HARVESTED SEA SALT CALL FOR PROTECTION.
November 23, 2007... The salt marshes of Guerande, Trapani and Cadiz are areas of high tourism which today require that their economic activity be preserved. The European federation representing producers of hand harvested sea salt once again asked the European...

BIOTECHNOLOGY : WASHINGTON GETS ANNOYED OVER FRENCH POSITION ON GMOS.
November 23, 2007... French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent declarations concerning a moratorium on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) could poison transatlantic relations, hinted US Trade Representative Susan Schwab in early November. She made the comment...