EU Committees (Hansard, 8 September 2003)

§ Mr. Bradshaw

The activities and mandates of the above listed Committees are wide-ranging and varied. A synopsis of the Committees' activities and mandates are outlined as follows:

Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health

The activities of the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) include animal health and welfare, controls and import conditions, biological safety of the food chain, general food law, toxicological safety of the food chain, animal nutrition and phytopharmaceuticals. SCoFCAH is a regulatory Committee which meets under Comitology rules. It has the power to discuss and agree proposals for Commission legislation designed to maintain the Safety of the EU food Chain. It can agree Commission rules relating to EU production and to third country imports.

Community Committee for the Farm Accountancy Data Network

The Committee meets three times a year to consider all aspects of the Farm AccountancyData Network, from developing the network itself (including reviewing legislation) to commissioning and presenting economic research into the impact of policy proposals on farm businesses. The Committee was established by Council Regulation 79/65/EEC to set up a harmonised farm accountancy system across the EU to support farm business analyses and determination of farm incomes to meet the needs of the Common Agricultural Policy.

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Managment Committee for Live Plants

The mandate of the Management Committee for live plants and floriculture products is to assist the Commission in the management of the common organisation of the market in live trees and other plants, bulbs, roots and the like, cut flowers and ornamental foliage, as established by Article 1 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 234/68. The Commission has not convened a meeting of the Committee since it last met in July 2001. Items discussed then included market statistics and EU enlargement.

Standing Committee on Agricultural Plants

There is no such Committee.

Management Committee on Poultrymeat and Eggs

The Management Committee for Eggs and Poultry meets once a month to examine the market situation and the regulations that implement the CAP regimes for these commodities. The Committee has the authority to fix export refund rates and import representative prices for poultrymeat, eggs and egg products, and to make changes to Commission Regulations on certain marketing standards for eggs and poultrymeat and production and marketing of eggs for hatching.

Standing Committee on Agricultural, Horticultural and Forestry Seeds and Plants

The Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry meets to consider a wide range of administrative, technical and regulatory arrangements for the implementation of the provisions of the Council Directives on the marketing of seeds and propagating material. The Committee's mandate is to carry out the duties devolved to it by these Council Directives. Reports of the Committee's activities can be found on the Commission's website at: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/scsp/index_en.html.

Standing Committee on Propagating Material and Plants of Fruit Genera and Species

The mandate of the Standing Committee on Propagating Material and Plants of Fruit Genera and Species is contained within Council Directive 92/34 on the marketing of fruit plant propagating material and fruit plants intended for fruit production. The Committee gives opinions on amendments and implementing measures associated with the Directive, and on the arrangements for carrying out and reviewing Community comparative trials on fruit planting and propagating material. Recent activities of the Committee include a review of the genera and species covered by the Directive, an evaluation of CAC (Conformitas Agraria Communitatis) and certification requirements and comparative trial matters. Agendas and meeting reports for this Committee are available on the European Commission's website at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/rc/scpfgs/index_en.html.

Management Committee on Tobacco

The Management Committee on Tobacco exists to carry out the requirements of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2075/92 on the common organisation of the market in raw tobacco.

The Committee last met in June to consider matters relating to the management of the market for raw tobacco, including exemptions from the buy-back scheme and fixing for 2003 the definitive allocations of financing under Community Tobacco Fund.

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Management Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture

This Committee was established under Article 30 of the Common Fisheries Policy's (CFP) basic framework regulation (Council Regulation 2371/2002). It can deal with any issues relating to the detailed implementation of the CFP, but has recently concentrated on the successor arrangements to the Multi-Annual Guidance Programme for the management of EU fleet capacity.

Committee on the Conservation, Characterisation, Collection and Utilisation of Genetic Resources in Agriculture

The mandate of the Committee on the Conservation, Characterisation, Collection and Utilisation of Genetic Resources in agriculture is to advise the Commission on draft measures made under Council Regulation 1467/94 on assisting the co-ordination, at Community level, of certain national measures for the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture, aiming to achieve an approach in line with the aims of the Common Agricultural Policy. Regulation 1467/94 established a programme for the conservation, characterisation, collection and utilisation of genetic resources in agriculture for a period of five years. A revised proposal for a successor regulation in 2001 is expected later this year. The Committee recently met, during which meeting it reviewed the state of projects approved under Regulation 1467/94 and considered informal Commission ideas for the revised proposal for a successor regulation.

Management Committee for Beef and Veal

The Management Committee for Beef and Veal is mandated to provide close co-operation between Member States and the Commission in order to facilitate the implementation of measures provided for in the CAP regime for Beef and Veal (Council Regulation (EC) No. 1254/99 of 17 May 1999). The normal work of the Committee involves regular consideration of the market situation (including production, consumption, imports and exports). Its work also includes setting export refund rates, adjudicating intervention tenders (purchases and sales), opening import tariff quotas, consideration of technical aspects of beef carcase classification and price reporting and consideration of implementational aspects of the various producer support schemes and other technical measures.

Standing Committee for Propagating Materials of Ornamental Plants

The mandate of the Standing Committee for Propagating Materials of Ornamental Plants is contained within Council Directive 98/56 on the marketing of propagating material of ornamental plants. The Committee gives opinions on amendments and implementing measures associated with the Directive, and on the arrangements for carrying out and reviewing Community comparative trials on ornamental propagating material. Recent activities of the Committee include a review of control arrangements under the Directive and comparative trial matters, Agendas and meeting reports for this Committee are available on the European Commission's website at http://europa.eu.int/comm.food/fs/rc/scop.index_en.html.

Management Committee for Wine

The Management Committee for Wine assists the Commission in its responsibility for the management of the wine sector. It considers draft Commission legislation 299W and gives its formal opinion on Commission proposals. The Management Committee for Wine is mandated to provide close co-operation between Member States and the Commission in order to facilitate the implementation of measures provided for in the CAP wine regime (Council Regulation 1493/1999). The objective of these measures is to maintain and improve the balance between the supply and demand for wine on the Community market and to enable the sector to be more competitive in the longer term.