Ciarán Cuffe
Question:42 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food the outcome of the meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers held in Ireland recently. [14830/04]
View answerThursday, 20 May 2004
Questions (44)
Written answers
The informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Killarney on 11 May was the first meeting at Council level of the enlarged European Union. Ministers from the 25 member states and from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey as well as three EU Commissioners had an exchange of views on "CAP reforms and Trade Concessions; how best to communicate them", as well as the more recent developments in the negotiations on the current WTO round.
Ministers reaffirmed that the substantive CAP reforms under Agenda 2000 and the mid-term review of Agenda 2000 will make a significant contribution to facilitating trade and stressed the need for greater recognition from the WTO negotiating partners and the public of the significance of these changes. Ministers and the Commission pledged to work more actively together in explaining the impact of the measures in place and several delegations also called for the development of a clear overall communications strategy.
In so far as the WTO is concerned, Ministers reiterated the EU's determination to seek a successful and balanced conclusion to the negotiations while working with developing countries to ensure special and differential treatment and to give particular attention to the needs of the least developed and most vulnerable countries. Ministers confirmed their view that the fundamental elements of the structure of domestic support that were agreed in the Uruguay Round should remain in place but that within this the EU is prepared to commit to a large reduction in trade distorting or Amber Box support and to reducing and capping existing Blue Box payments; there could however be no restrictions on Green Box payments. Ministers were also of the view that the EU could move further on export competition only if full parallelism on all forms of export subsidisation, that is export subsidies, export credits, food aid dumping and certain practices of state trading enterprises, is ensured, and if a successful outcome on market access and domestic support emerges. For agreement to be possible an adequate solution to cover non-trade concerns, including geographical indications, would also have to be found. I intend to have a further discussion on these issues at the next Council of Ministers meeting on 24 May.