EU: Presidency work programme in the agriculture and fisheries sectors

The agricultural policy priorities of the Presidency will include:

• To take forward the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform by:
  • Organising focused debates on specific issues of the four main CAP regulations of the CAP reform package(direct payments, rural development, single common market organisation(CMO) and financing the CAP).
  • Preparing the adoption of a partial general approach on the key elements of the CAP reform package for November;
  • Adopting in agreement with the European Parliament the proposals concerning transitional measures for the direct payments and the wine sector.
• The alignment of the agricultural legislation with the Lisbon Treaty, for which the Presidency hopes to reach an agreement with the European Parliament on some proposals such as outermost regions and smaller Aegean islands;
• The quality schemes for agricultural products on which the Presidency will ensure the final adoption of the text following the agreement reached with the European Parliament under the Danish Presidency.

As regards food and veterinary issues the Presidency intends to work on:

• The revision of the hygiene package and the regulation on official controls;
• The new animal health law;
• The new pet regulation covering the non-commercial movements of pet animals and the animalhealth requirements in the intra EU trade and the imports of pets.