Perhaps we can refer the Deputy's comments to the Department concerned to ensure it is considering this aspect. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 814 is a proposed directive on plant protection products containing micro-organisms. All plant protection products put on the market in the EU are evaluated according to Council Directive 91/414/EEC. The objective of the evaluation is to identify and assess, on a scientific basis, the potential adverse effects on human and animal health and the environment. Currently, the evaluations concern the listed contents of plant protection products. The proposal seeks to widen the scope of the current system to encompass plant protection products also containing micro-organisms. It is argued in the memorandum to the proposal that EU-wide regulations are required to ensure that evaluations take place in a consistent manner.
It is proposed that, while the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny, it should be forward to the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food for information. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 817 is a proposed regulation establishing a Community programme on the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture. Under Regulation (EC) No. 1467/94 the Commission called for projects to assist in, inter alia, the conservation and utilisation of genetic resources for use in agriculture, for example the seeds of rare vegetable and fruit varieties. As agriculture becomes more intensive and reliant on genetic uniformity it becomes increasingly important to have a wide spectrum of genetic material available to address the problems of pests and disease. The Commission is seeking in this proposal to allocate a further €10 million to a programme similar to the one currently in operation. The new programme would, however, encourage the use of existing materials or databases and the development of a web-based inventory of collections. The Department’s information note highlights that the programme would open funding opportunities for eligible projects in Ireland.
It is proposed that this does not warrant further scrutiny but that it be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food for further information. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 818 is a proposed regulation establishing measures for the recovery of the southern hake and Norway lobster stocks in the Cantabrian Sea and western Iberian peninsula. The Department's information note indicates that the proposal is not of significance for Ireland, which does not have a quota in these areas. It is proposed therefore that this does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 819 is a proposed regulation establishing measures for the recovery of the sole stocks in the Western Channel and the Bay of Biscay. Members will have seen that the Department's information note outlines that this proposal has no implications for Ireland which does not have an allocated quota for these stocks. The objective of the proposal is to rebuild stocks up to a safe level within five to ten years. It is proposed that this does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 834 is a proposed Council decision providing macro-financial assistance to Albania. Albania is one of Europe's poorest countries with a per capita GDP of approximately $1,400. The 1992 elections there followed two years of political evaluation and ended 47 years of communist rule. The International Monetary Fund in its January 2004 review of performance under Albania’s IMF-supported programme for poverty reduction and growth facility noted that while it had remained uneven, “macro-economic stability has continued and structural reform has accelerated somewhat”. The memorandum to the proposal indicates that the assistance would be used, inter alia, for administrative reform. It is proposed that this does not warrant further scrutiny. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 841 is a proposed directive on the common system of taxation applicable to interest and royalty payments made between countries of different member states. Council Directive 2003/49/EEC provides that it is necessary "to ensure that interest and royalty payments are subject to tax once in a member state" and lists the types of companies benefiting from the measure. This proposal, in common with a number of similar proposals previously considered by the sub-committee, seeks to widen the scope of the measure to include the European company. This will allow from 8 October 2004 a company established in a member state and carrying out business in more than one member state to operate with one set of company rules. The proposal would also encompass, inter alia, Irish unlimited companies.
The current directive seeks to ensure that double taxation on the payments concerned cannot take place. The Department has indicated that the proposed measure will not impact on such tax obligations for individuals. It is proposed that while the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny, it should be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service for information. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 854 is the proposed regulation establishing a European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training. The centre, based in Thessaloniki, was created in 1975 and provides policy makers, researchers and practitioners with information to promote a clearer understanding of developments in vocational training. Among the tools it uses for this task are an interactive website for the exchange of views and information; a newsletter; and a professional journal for the publication of academic papers etc. on vocational training.
The Department's information note categorises the proposal as purely technical. It is proposed that while the proposal does not warrant further scrutiny, it be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Education and Science and the Joint Committee on Enterprise and Small Business for information purposes. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2003) 855 is the proposed Council decision on the accession of the Community to the Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly-Migratory Fish stocks in the western and central Pacific ocean, the WCPFC. This proposal seeks approval for the accession of the European Community to the convention. The WCPFC area of competence accounts for 60% of the world's tuna resources. The Community, according to the Departmental note, fished in these waters under private contracts for a number of years. The conclusion of a bilateral agreement with Kiribati in 2003 has deepened the official involvement in the industry. The first official meeting of the WCPFC is likely to take place in October 2004.
It is proposed that this does not warrant further scrutiny but that the Department be requested to inform the committee of the level of contribution which the Community will be obliged to make to the Fisheries Commission. It is proposed to note. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2004) 35 is a proposed directive imposing an obligation on member states of the EU to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil and-or petroleum products. The Council directive that imposed an obligation on member states of the EEC to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil and/or petroleum products has been amended on a number of occasions. The Commission is seeking to codify these measures.
The Commission's memorandum to this proposal sets out that the proposal "fully preserves the content of the directives being codified and hence does no more than bringing them together with only such formal amendments as are required by the codification itself." It is proposed to note this. Is that agreed? Agreed.
COM (2004) 46 is the proposed Council decision extending the period of application of the measures in Decision 2002/148/EC concluding consultations with Zimbabwe under Article 96 of the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement. The proposal seeks to extend for a further period of one year the application of certain measures against Zimbabwe. The information note from the Department of Foreign Affairs indicates that the measures were introduced by the EU in response to the violation of human rights in that country.
The measures taken to date concern the suspension of budgetary support and support for development projects. No additional negative measures are sought in the proposal. This, according to the information note, is to reduce the possibility of further impacting on the Zimbabwean people.