Charlie O'Connor
Question:119 Mr. O’Connor asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on his Department’s endeavours in respect of Ireland’s EU Presidency; and his plans for the remainder of the term. [15751/04]
View answerWednesday, 26 May 2004
Questions (106, 107)
Written answers
As I reported to this House in reply to Question No. 3 on 5 February last, two meetings of Defence directors, that is, senior officials of Defence ministries, were held on 22-23 January and 25-26 February last. The first meeting of directors provided an opportunity to discuss the most important policy priorities of our Presidency work programme. Discussions took place on the development of the EU's capabilities to carry out Petersberg Tasks operations; progress regarding the creation, in the course of 2004, of an intergovernmental agency in the field of defence capabilities development, research, acquisition and armaments; developing and defining a 2010 headline goal; the development of an EU rapid response capability with the primary focus on supporting the United Nations in crisis management; and relations between the EU and NATO with particular regard to capabilities development and operational planning.
The second meeting of Defence directors, which was held in Dublin on 26 February, concentrated more specifically on the creation of the above mentioned agency. This meeting was attended by officials with expertise in defence procurement.
On 5 and 6 April, I chaired an informal meeting of Defence Ministers of EU member states and accession states in Brussels. The meeting provided an opportunity to review and discuss the major issues in the European security and defence policy, ESDP, mandate of the Irish Presidency. As the meeting was informal, it was not a decision making forum and no formal conclusions were drawn.
On 17 May I chaired a further meeting of Defence Ministers in the framework of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC. This meeting concentrated on some key items in the ongoing progress of ESDP during the Presidency. In particular we discussed: the agreement for a new headline goal with a horizon of 2010; the ongoing work towards the development of an EU rapid response capability such as that which made a significant contribution to achieving peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2003; future crisis management operations with a particular emphasis on the EU's preparations for an envisaged follow on to the UN mandated NATO led stabilisation force in Bosnia-Herzegovina; ongoing work towards the establishment of the agency mentioned above; and issues relating to the relationship between the EU and NATO, with particular regard to planning capabilities for both civilian and military operations.
I was pleased to be able to report on good progress on all of these issues to our Foreign Minister colleagues for inclusion in their conclusions of the GAERC. Our meeting was followed by a meeting between the EU Defence Ministers and the Defence Ministers from Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Norway and Iceland, that is, the non-EU members of NATO, which I also chaired. This meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views with those countries about the ongoing progress of ESDP in accordance with the ongoing implementation of constructive and transparent relations between the EU and NATO.
I am pleased with the progress of ESDP issues during our Presidency and I am confident that the Presidency report to the European Council in June will reflect this good progress.
Charlie O'Connor
Question:120 Mr. O’Connor asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food if he will report on his Department’s endeavours in respect of Ireland’s EU Presidency; and his plans for the remainder of the term. [15752/04]
View answer
Significant progress has been achieved on the specific objectives which I set for the Irish Presidency, namely: to facilitate the application of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, to the new member states; to continue the process of simplification of the CAP initiated by the mid-term; review decisions of June 2003; and to enhance food safety standards. A total of 17 legislative measures in the agriculture and food areas have been adopted by the Council of Ministers so far under the Irish Presidency.
With regard to the application of the CAP to the new member states, one legislative measure has been adopted and another is expected to be adopted shortly when the relevant texts have been prepared in all languages. With regard to the process of simplification of the CAP, a major reform of the support regimes for cotton, tobacco, olive oil and hops was agreed by the Council of Ministers in April and has also been applied to the new member states. Other reform measures that have been adopted by the Council during the Irish Presidency relate to the flax and hemp regime, organic farming, beekeeping and a programme for the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture.
Progress on food safety issues includes the adoption by the Council of a regulation on food and feed controls and four legislative texts involving updating, reform and consolidation of EU legislation on the hygiene of foodstuffs, known collectively as the hygiene package. Political agreement was also reached on a proposal laying down requirements for feed hygiene.
The Council is also closely monitoring developments in the negotiations on the current World Trade Organisation, WTO, round and the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. At the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers which took place in Killarney on 9-11 May 2004, the Council debated issues relating to CAP reform and trade concessions and how best to communicate them, with particular reference to developing countries, in addition to developments in the current WTO round. The Council meeting on 24 May also discussed the current WTO round and the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.
I should add that a major effort was made by the Irish Presidency to reach agreement on the Commission's proposal for a Council regulation on the protection of animals during transport. Unfortunately, it was not possible to bridge the wide gap between the member states on the key issues of travel times, rest periods and stocking densities.
Between now and the end of June, work will continue, inter alia, on proposals for the promotion of agricultural products in third countries and on the EU internal market and on the setting of uniform principles for the authorisation of microbial pesticides as well as on options for the reform of the sugar regime and the Commission’s report on beef labelling. I also propose to hold a public debate in the Council on 21 June on the Commission’s proposal for an action plan on organic farming which is expected to be published shortly.