Date: | 19.05.2008 |
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Venue: | Brussels |
Policy area: | Agriculture and Fisheries |
Type of event: | Council of Ministers |
More: | The Council will be chaired by the Slovenian Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Iztok Jarc. At the meeting, the ministers will endeavour to reach a political agreement on the proposal for a Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market. The proposed Regulation is aimed chiefly at maintaining a high level of human, animal and environmental protection without compromising the competitiveness of the agriculture sector and food production. The proposal seeks to reduce the administrative burden imposed by current approval and registration procedures and to improve the coordinated use of plant protection products. The Presidency has drafted a compromise proposal for the wording of the Regulation, but the following issues are still unresolved:
On the initiative of the Slovenian Presidency, the ministers will also discuss rising agricultural product and food prices on the global market with a view to finding a solution to mitigate the adverse effects of such market price trends. At the working lunch, the ministers will discuss the contribution of research towards adapting the agricultural sector to climate change. The meeting will also be attended by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel, and the European Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potočnik. The Presidency has drawn up a discussion paper, pointing up questions relating to the need for this kind of research and additional funding, exchanges of experience between Member States and transfers of knowledge to farmers, as well as the suitability of proposed solutions in the context of the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy. The Presidency will hold a press conference at the end of the session, at approximately 17.00. Video:
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Agriculture Ministers Discuss Pesticides Regulation and High Food Prices
Agenda of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 134 KB
Background information for the Agriculture and Fisheries Council 135 KB
Agriculture and Fisheries Council: Conclusions, press release 202 KB