On Sunday, a three-day informal meeting of the Agriculture Ministers of the EU Member States and candidate countries will start in Maribor. The Ministers will conclude their visit to Slovenia with a plenary session on Tuesday, 27 May 2008, at Brdo pri Kranju. The core theme of the meeting will be discussion on the new legislative proposals relating to the ‘review’ of the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP), which will be presented for the first time to the Ministers by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel. The President of the EU Council, Slovenian Minister of Agriculture Iztok Jarc, will particularly highlight the new challenges to which CAP should respond more actively. During their three-day stay, the guests will visit various places in Slovenia, taste traditional Slovenian food and quality Slovenian wines, and be presented with the particular characteristics of Slovenia’s countryside, including Lipizzaner horses.
For the first time, the Agriculture Ministers will exchange their opinions on the actual amendments to three fundamental regulations in the framework of the CAP. With the proposals for the amendments, prepared by the Commission on the basis of the ministerial guidelines adopted in March, the CAP should become even more efficient, make European agriculture more competitive, and respond to new challenges being faced by agriculture.
The Slovenian Presidency has prepared a reflection paper in which it highlights the new challenges that agriculture has been facing in the global context: climate change, biofuels, environmental protection, risk management in agriculture, and food safety. For the ministerial debate, the Presidency raised the following three questions: how can the agricultural sector adjust to these challenges? how can we provide quality food at affordable prices while the world population is growing and, at the same time, ensure the preservation of biodiversity, the man-made environment and the protection of natural resources? to what degree can the envisaged adjustments of the CAP contribute to meeting those challenges?
In tandem with the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers, Maribor will also host a formal meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA). The SCA is a professional and political body which prepares proposals for conclusions to be discussed by the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers.
The meeting will focus on the presentation of environmental impact assessments accompanying legislative proposals in the context of the ‘review’ of the CAP reform. In accordance with EU efforts for better regulation, every legislative instrument must be accompanied by an impact assessment to evaluate the impact of the proposed solutions on the issue or area concerned.
The ministerial meeting has been prepared in accordance with the longstanding tradition of such meetings abroad. They usually last three days and consist of a professional and political and a tourist promotion programme. On Sunday, the Agriculture Ministers will visit the ‘Countryside in Town’ event where farms from Slovenian regions, farms of Slovenes living in neighbouring countries and wine producers will present themselves. Folk songs and dances will be featured at the event. In the evening, the Ministers will attend a cultural programme with the band Terrafolk and Symbolic Orchestra, in the hall of the Slovenian National Theatre Maribor (SNG Maribor). On Monday, the Ministers will take a raft trip along the Drava River to the oldest grapevine in the world, and visit the Protner tourist farm and the Vinag wine cellar. In the evening, they will attend a gala dinner hosted by Slovenian Minister Iztok Jarc. On Tuesday, before the formal meeting at Brdo pri Kranju, the Ministers will visit a ‘Lipizzaner Ballet’ performance.
In addition, the delegates and partners will visit the Maribor Fruit Growing Centre in Gačnik, the Leber–Vračko animal stock and wine-growing farm, the Dreisiebner wine-growing farm and the ‘Delicacies of Slovenian Farms’ exhibition in Ptuj. During the ministerial meeting, they will visit Bled and the municipality of Kranj.
Complete media programme, accreditation application instructions etc. 
Sunday, 25 May 2008
Monday, 26 May 2008
