The fruit and vegetable reform agreement is another step on the road to a more market oriented CAP. Yet in some ways it is more significant in terms of how it was secured and what it reveals about decision-making in an EU with 27 member states.
Despite fears of a marthon session, agreement was reached by 5 p.m. in the afternoon. This was done by conversations in the corridor rather than in plenary session of the Council. This reflects the way in which deals are increasingly being reached in the Special Committee on Agriculture or in the margins of the Council itself - over lunch or in the corridor. This has always happened to some extent, but it is more necessary in a much enlarged EU.
The existing system of processing aids for tomatoes (€329m), citrus fruit (€241m) and peaches/pears/prunes/figs (€76m) based on production and an area based scheme for dried grapes (€115m) will cease this year. The funds received by each member state will be added to the national envelope for the SFP. However, a 'coupled' aid for tomatoes can be retained by member states for four years.
Various side payments had to be made to secure the deal. Spain and Italy will get a one-off national aid of €15m in 2007/8 to help the tomato processing sector. The reference period for Greece was adjusted because of a poor peach crop in 2004, effectively giving Greece an extra €3.1m in its envelope. There will be some transitional direct payments for soft fruit on new member states, although in the case of Latvia this amounts to just €92,000. But by such adjustments deals are made.Any source
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