Uitkomsten vergadering van EU-ministerraad Landbouw en Visserij van 19 januari 2009 (en)

CONTENTS ¹

PARTICIPANTS................................................................................................................................. 5

ITEMS DEBATED

WORK PROGRAMME OF THE PRESIDENCY................................................................................ 7

OIV..................................................................................................................................................... 10

FOOD PRICES................................................................................................................................... 11

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS..................................................................................... 12

OBLIGATIONS OF OPERATORS WHO PLACE TIMBER AND TIMBER PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET............................................................................................................................................................ 13

ANY OTHER BUSINESS.................................................................................................................. 15

OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

AGRICULTURE

• - 

  "Health Check" of the Common Agricultural Policy*........................................................................................................ 16

RESEARCH

• - 

  International scientific and technological cooperation - India - New Zealand............................................................... 20

CUSTOMS COOPERATION

• - 

  EU strategy for customs cooperation - Implementation of the action plan..................................................................... 21

COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY

• - 

  Arms Trade Treaty................................................................................................................................................................... 21

HUMAN RIGHTS

• - 

  EU guidelines on human rights dialogues with third countries - Update........................................................................ 22

TRADE POLICY

• - 

  EU / Andean Community association agreement................................................................................................................ 23

APPOINTMENTS

• - 

  European Economic and Social Committee.......................................................................................................................... 23

• - 

  Committee of the Regions....................................................................................................................................................... 23

TRANSPARENCY

• - 

  Public access to documents................................................................................................................................................... 24

DECISIONS TAKEN BY WRITTEN PROCEDURE

• - 

  TACs and quotas for 2009*.................................................................................................................................................... 24

PARTICIPANTS

The governments of the Member states and the European Commission were represented as follows:

Belgium:

Ms Sabine LARUELLE Minister for SMEs, the Self-Employed, Agriculture and Science Policy

Mr Kris PEETERS Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Institutional Reform, Ports, Agriculture, Sea Fisheries and Rural Policy

Bulgaria:

Mr Valeri TSVETANOV Minister for Agriculture and Food Supply

Czech Republic:

Mr Petr GANDALOVIC Minister for Agriculture

Mr Ivo HLAVÁC State Secretary for Agriculture

Denmark:

Mr Troels Lund POULSEN Minister for the Environment

Germany:

Mr Gert LINDEMANN State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection

Estonia:

Mr Helir-Valdor SEEDER Minister for Agriculture

Ireland:

Mr Brendan SMITH Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Greece:

Mr Konstantinos KILTIDIS State Secretary for Rural Development and Food

Spain:

Ms Elena ESPINOSA MANGANA Minister for Minister for the Environment and the Rural and Marine Environment

Mr José Luis MARTÍNEZ-GUIJARRO Minister for Agriculture, and Rural Development of the Autonomous Community of Castile-La Mancha

France:

Mr Michel BARNIER Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries

Italy:

Mr Luca ZAIA Minister for Agricultural and Forestry Policy

Cyprus:

Mr Panicos POUROS Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment

Latvia:

Mr Martinš ROZE Minister for Agriculture

Lithuania:

Mr Kazimieras STARKEVICIUS Minister for Agriculture

Luxembourg:

Mr Fernand BODEN Minister for Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development, Minister for Small and Medium-sized Businesses, the Liberal Professions and the Self-Employed, Tourism and Housing

Hungary:

Mr Barnabás FORGÁCS State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Malta:

Mr George PULLICINO Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs

Netherlands:

Ms Gerda VERBURG Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality

Austria:

Mr Walter GRAHAMMER Deputy Permanent Representative

Pologne:

Mr Marek SAWICKI Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development

Portugal:

Mr Jaime SILVA Minister for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries

Romania:

Mr Ilie SÂRBU Minister of Agriculture, Forests, and Rural Development

Slovenia:

Mr Milan POGACNIK Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food

Slovakia:

Mr Stanislav BECÍK Minister for Agriculture and Forestry

Finland:

Ms Sirkka-Liisa ANTTILA Minister for Agriculture

Sweden:

Mr Eskil ERLANDSSON Minister for Agriculture

United Kingdom:

Mr Hilary BENN Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Commission:

Mr Stavros DIMAS Member

Ms Mariann FISCHER BOEL Member

ITEMS DEBATED

WORK PROGRAMME OF THE PRESIDENCY

Mr Petr Gandalovic gave Ministers an overview of the work programme and the issues to be debated during Czech Presidency ^[1] . The work of the Ministry of Agriculture will concentrate on the following main areas:

• 1) 

  The Future of the Common Agricultural Policy and Rural Development

The Presidency will actively build on the discussions on the future of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013. It will stimulate a debate on the search for instruments of the future CAP that will lead to a more effective use of financial resources, increase the competitiveness of farmers and lay down the foundations for the long-term strengthening of the position of the European agriculture and food-processing industries on the open global market. These topics are closely related to the debate on the future of direct payments and the entire first pillar after 2013. The debates should pave the way for equal conditions for all EU Member states, not only as regards the amount of direct payments, but also in connection to the system of allocation, which will respect the agricultural diversity of the Member states.

• 2) 

  Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs Quality Policy

To enhance the competitiveness of European production, the Presidency will actively promote the debate on the revision of the EU agricultural products and foodstuffs quality policy. This debate will seek to ensure a long-term perspective for quality agricultural products and foodstuffs, above all as regards products registered under the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The key issues to be highlighted include an effective and extensive promotion, reduction of the administrative burden and shortening of the registration procedures. For these purposes, the Presidency will hold a high-level conference and stimulate discussion within the EU Council on a communication to be submitted by the Commission this year.

• 3) 

  Development of Rural Areas and Delimitation of Less Favoured Areas (LFA)

Under the rural development policy, the Czech Presidency plans to initiate a discussion on the redefinition of the Less Favoured Areas, in connection with a Commission Communication on this issue. The aim of the Presidency is to stimulate a constructive debate that will lead to the definition of uniform procedures and methodologies for the delimitation of these areas.

• 4) 

  Simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and better regulation.

The future of the CAP and the reduction of the EU’s administrative burden being a significant horizontal objective, the Presidency gives priority to the revision of the existing legislation and the improvement of the regulatory environment in agriculture. It will seek to initiate a broad discussion based on the expected Report of the Commission on the meeting of the targets for the simplification and better regulation of agricultural legislation. In this respect it will also strive to adopt legislation aimed at the Health Check of the CAP and including wine in the common market organisation.

• 5) 

  Food safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary field

The Presidency intends to maintain the high level of food safety and transparency in the food chain for consumers.

• 6) 

  Information to consumers, plant protection products, animal welfare

The Presidency will make an effort to achieve progress in negotiations on the proposal for a regulation on the provision of food information to consumers. Through a dialogue between the Member states and the European Parliament, it will seek to achieve a common goal, which is to empower consumers to make informed choices and safe use of food.

The Presidency intends to finalise negotiations on the draft proposal for a Regulation concerning statistics on plant protection products. The purpose of this regulation is to set out well-balanced rules for the placing of these substances on the market, aiming to ensure a high level of consumer safety and protection, as well as to improve and simplify the functioning of the internal market.

The Presidency attaches great importance to the proposal for a Regulation on the protection of animals at the time of killing. It aims to amend it by introducing the necessary improvements and simplifications, and to clarify the relevant rules in this area. The Presidency will also launch a debate on the revision of legislation on the protection of animals used for research purposes.

• 7) 

  Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) - Aquaculture

In order to promote sustainable and responsible fishing, the Presidency will proceed with the revision of the legislative proposals concerning technical measures, fisheries controls and long-term management plans for selected fish species. It will also continue to promote sustainable development of aquaculture and will work towards obtaining a Commission Communication addressing these issues. Furthermore, it will host a debate on the future reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, and especially on its most important points mentioned in the Green Paper prepared by the Commission. On external relations, the Presidency promotes an active role for the EU in international organisations such as the UN, FAO and OECD, as well as in regional fisheries organisations, and wishes the EU to strive for progress towards the conclusion of certain bilateral fisheries agreements (e.g. with Guinea).

• 8) 

  Forestry - timber

Last but not least, the Presidency will focus on the proposal for a Regulation laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market. Special attention will be paid to the management of timber trade within the EU. The Presidency will also support the EU’s role in the context of international forestry, especially within the framework of the UN Forum on Forests and the International Tropical Timber Agreement.

The following events will be organised in Czech Republic:

• - 

  in Brno :

• - 

  Informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers (31 May - 2 June 2009)

• - 

  Meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (31 May - 1 June 2009)

• - 

  In Prague :

• - 

  Conference “EU Enlargement - 5 Years After” ( 2 Mach 2009)

• - 

  Quality Policy Conference (12-13 March 2009)

• - 

  “Small Business Act for Europe: Entrepreneurship without Barriers”, 1st European SME Week Closing Conference and European Enterprise Awards (13-14 May 2009)

• - 

  Conference on Wilderness and Large Natural Habitat Areas (27-29 May 2009)

OIV

Having heard the general presentation of a Recommendation to authorise the Commission to open and conduct negotiations with the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) on the terms and conditions for the European Community's accession, the Council took note of the preliminary reactions expressed by some delegations [2] and invited its preparatory bodies to conduct a thorough examination of all issues in order to allow the Council to come back on that matter at a future session ( 13934/08 ).

FOOD PRICES

The Council took note of Commissioner Fischer Boel's presentation of the communication on Food Prices in Europe, including a roadmap to improve the functioning of the food supply chain ( 17380/08 ) and of the Ministers reactions on that matter.

Most delegations agreed on the need to closely monitor the market. Several member states called for a more regulated frame while others declared that existing market management tools where appropriate. Several delegations pointed out the weak position of producers facing big retail chains, together with the need to reflect price decreases along the whole food supply chain and not only at producers level

On the basis of the roadmap set out in the Communication, the Commission will examine the possibility of taking further action and will report back by the end of 2009.

This Communication reviews recent developments in agricultural commodity and food prices, and also proposes a programme to work towards improving the functioning of the food supply chain in Europe.

In response to a request by the June 2008 European Council, the Commission has submitted to the Council the above communication.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS

The Council noted the absence of a qualified majority necessary to reach a decision in favour or against the following two proposals:

• a) 

  for a Decision authorising the placing on the market of products containing or produced from genetically modified oilseed rape T45 (ACS-BNØØ8-2) resulting from the commercialisation of this oilseed rape in third countries until 2005 pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 15039/08 ), and

• b) 

  for a Decision authorising the placing on the market in accordance with Directive 2001/18/EC of a carnation ( Dianthus caryophullus L., line 123.8.12) genetically modified for flower colour ( 16271/08), respectively.

The Council having concluded its proceedings on this file, the Commission is now entitled to finalise the decision-making procedure on both issues.

OBLIGATIONS OF OPERATORS WHO PLACE TIMBER AND TIMBER PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET

The Council held a public policy debate [3] on a proposal for a Regulation laying down the obligations of operators who place timber and timber products on the market ( 14482/08 ), on the basis of the following Presidency questionnaire :

• - 

  Would you advise to further specify the due diligence system [4] in the proposal, with respect to different type of marketed products?

• - 

  What would you suggest as a way to minimize the administrative burden of operators placing timber and timber products on the market?

• - 

  Are you satisfied with the extent of detail left for the implementing regulation and what do you consider the most appropriate comitology procedure to safeguard the interests of all parties involved?

The main outcomes of the debate are as follows:

• - 

  Several delegations asked for more clarification on the definition of operators and for possible exemptions for small operators and where, due diligence systems have proven to be reliable and national efficient. Member states called for full compliance with WTO framework while providing a strong signal to the sector.

• - 

  All member states agreed that the administrative costs and burden should not be disproportionate to the risks and that existing national systems should be used as much as possible. They also stressed that it was important not to jeopardize the competitiveness of the European forestry sector.

• - 

  Most member states shared the view that as many details as possible should be spelled out in the regulation. A smaller group would favour more flexibility on that.

The Council gave mandate to COREPER to continue working on this dossier with a view to making quick progress.

The European Parliament’s report is scheduled for adoption by Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee on 17 February (rapporteur: Ms Caroline Lucas) and should be submitted to a plenary sitting in April.

In 2005, the Council adopted the "FLEGT" Regulation establishing a FLEGT licensing scheme for imports of timber into the EC and mandated the Commission to negotiate partnership agreements with interested countries. The "FLEGT" Regulation will be implemented through these partnership agreements;

The proposal on the table is part of a package of measures to address the problem of illegal logging of timber and related trade, for which the Commission presented a Community Action Plan in 2003 [5] .

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

(a) Temporary adjustments for the provisions of European Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development - Request from the Latvian delegation.

The Council has taken note of the request made by the Latvian and Romanian delegations and supported by other delegations [6] regarding temporary adjustments to the provisions of the European Fisheries Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, and of the reaction given by the Commission representative.

(b) Situation on the milk market - Request from the Latvian, Polish and Slovakian delegations.

The Council has taken note of the views expressed by the Latvian, Polish and Slovakian delegations, supported by other delegations who thanked the Commission for the recent reintroduction of export refunds and modification of intervention measures in the milk sector.

The Commission representative informed the Council that additional measures will be submitted to the next Management Committee.

(c) Situation on the pig meat market

The Council has taken note of the request made by the French delegation and supported by other delegations [7] regarding the pork sector.

The French delegation presented a request concerning the granting of private storage aid for up to 100 000 tonnes.

Commissioner Fischer Boel stated that no market supporting measures will be introduced at this stage. The Commission representative informed the Council about a high level meeting planned on 6 and 7 February in Russia, one of the main European market.

OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

AGRICULTURE

"Health Check" of the Common Agricultural Policy*

The Council adopted, by qualified majority [8] , a package of legal acts resulting from the "Health Check" of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy conducted during the second half of last year ( 16765/08 , 16307/08 , 16789/08, 16790/08 and 5263/09 ADD 1+COR1+ADD2). The purpose of these measures is to simplify the single farm payment scheme and improve its effectiveness, to bring agricultural production more into line with global markets, and through rural development programmes to be better able to meet the new challenges of climate change, renewable energies, water management and preservation of biodiversity with innovation underpinning these four points, as well as those in the dairy sector.

The main elements of the legislative package can be summarised as follows:

Farm payments:

• - 

  Compulsory modulation, i. e. transfer of a percentage of funds earmarked for farm payments to the Rural Development Fund. In order to reinforce the financing of the new challenges faced by agriculture, the amount of this transfer will be increased in two ways:

For the EU 15, the current 5 % transfer rate will be raised by 2 % in 2010 and by a further 1 % each of the following three years so as to reach 10 % in 2013. In addition, a further "progressive modulation" rate of 4 % will apply to farm payments above EUR 300 000 from 2009 (budget year 2010) onwards.

For the new Member States compulsory modulation will only apply in the year when the level of direct payments will be at least equal to the level paid in the EU 15.

The exemption for the first EUR 5 000 of farm payments will continue to apply.

• - 

  Cross compliance rules:

The list of environmental, health and animal welfare requirements which are conditional for payment of the full amount of farm payments has been adjusted so as to correspond better to the work of the farmer and to the farm. Moreover the standards for maintaining land in good agricultural and environmental condition have been strengthened as regards protection of the landscape (which was necessary as a consequence of the abolition of the set aside requirement) and water management.

The Council and the Commission have undertaken to continue to work towards further simplification of the cross compliance rules for farmers as well as for the national administrations .

• - 

  Minimum thresholds applicable to the amount of farm payments:

In order to reduce the administrative cost incurred in disbursing small amounts of farm payments, farm payments will be subject to minimum thresholds per farm payment amount or per eligible area size. However, the fixed standard thresholds (EUR 100 and 1 hectare) may be adjusted according to the particular situation of the individual countries (in the case of Hungary, for example, Hungary will have the flexibility to set the threshold up to EUR 200 or down to 0.3 hectare, while France may increase the threshold up to EUR 300 or 4 hectares).

• - 

  Choice of regional or historical reference basis for farm payments:

In order to allow Member States more flexibility in the distribution of farm payments and to better target those payments, the new rules allow them to gradually level out the amounts of farm payments within their territory, and to change the basis for distribution of farm payments from a historical basis to a regional basis. In the framework of the discussion on the future of the CAP after 2013; the Council and the Commission have committed to thoroughly examining the possibilities for development of the farm payment system and addressing the differing level of farm payments between Member States.

• - 

  Most of farm payments will be decoupled between 2010 and 2012:

aid for arable crops, durum wheat, olive groves and hops as well as for some payments for sheep and goat, and beef and veal on 1 January 2010; for other payments for beef and veal (with the exception of suckler cows), rice, nuts, seed, protein crops and starch potato cultivation on 1 January 2012 at the latest; for the processing of dried fodder on 1 April 2012, and for the processing of potato starch and flax and hemp on 1 July 2012.

All these aids will be integrated into the single farm payment scheme.

The Commission will draw up a report by 31 December 2012 on the implementation of the "Health Check", particularly with regard to progress on decoupling.

• - 

  Specific support measures, especially for sectors in difficulty as well as for insurance and mutual funds ("Article 68 support") :

Member states will be allowed to use up to 10 % of their national single farm payment ceilings to grant targeted support to farmers in clearly defined cases.

This support may concern specific types of farming important for the protection or enhancement of the environment, measures to improve the quality of agricultural products or their marketing as well as for the practice of enhanced animal welfare and for agri-environment purposes.

It may also be used to address specific disadvantages in the beef and veal, sheep meat and goat meat, dairy, and rice sectors in economically vulnerable or environmentally sensitive areas, or, in the same sectors, for economically vulnerable types of farming.

However, support of this kind is subject to several conditions, in particular excluding any increase in coupled aid compared to the previous situation.

• - 

  Moreover, the specific support may take the form of a financial contribution towards the payment of crop, animal and plant insurance premiums covering financial loss caused by adverse climatic events and animal or plant diseases or pest infestation, or to mutual funds for animal or plant diseases or environmental incidents.

• - 

  The new member states not yet participating in the single farm payment scheme may continue to apply the single area payment scheme, which was due to expire in 2010, until the end of 2013.

Market management:

• - 

  The compulsory set-aside scheme for arable land is abolished. To compensate for the protection it offered for special landscape features such as buffer strips along water courses, provisions under cross-compliance have been strengthened in this respect.

• - 

  Milk quotas are increased by 1 % annually from 2009 to 2013, to prepare for the expiry of the milk quota regime in 2015. In the case of Italy, a 5 % increase will take place as from 2009 in a single instalment in order to allow Italy to address the situation of excess quota production in its country.

The Commission will assess the situation in this sector in two reports to be presented by the end of 2010 and 2012.

Further decisions regarding the dairy sector include the abolition of the aid for the private storage of cheese and the maintenance of the aid for the private storage of butter.

• - 

  Public intervention:

The measures for butter and skimmed milk powder will be continued in a simplified form. For soft wheat, a new ceiling is introduced, with purchase by tender beyond that ceiling. For durum wheat, rice, barley and sorghum, the intervention mechanism will be maintained as a market management instrument, but with ceilings set at zero, as in the case of intervention for maize.

• - 

  For long and short fibre hemp and flax, new aid amounts have been fixed; they will remain in force until the total decoupling of this aid in 2012.

• - 

  The restructuring of the tobacco sector will be supported by rural development funds.

• - 

  The energy crop aid is abolished since this specific support is no longer warranted in view of the strong demand for such products on international markets and the introduction of binding targets for the share of bio-energy in total fuel by 2020. The EUR 90 million saved will be made available to the new Member States.

New challenges under rural development programmes:

The additional funds generated by the increase in modulation (EUR 3 billion) are to be used by member states to address the challenges in the areas of climate change, renewable energy, management of water and biodiversity as well as to finance innovation in the areas mentioned above or accompanying measures for restructuring in the dairy sector.

Co-financing for resources stemming from modulation and allocated to those priorities under rural development programming will be at a rate of 75 % (or 90 % for regions falling under the "convergence" objective).

RESEARCH

International scientific and technological cooperation - India - New Zealand

The Council adopted a decision approving the renewal of the agreement for scientific and technological cooperation with India for five more years ( 16348/08).

The Council also adopted a decision approving the conclusion of an agreement for scientific and technological cooperation with New Zealand ( 16558/08). This agreement was signed on 16 July 2008 in Brussels.

CUSTOMS COOPERATION

EU strategy for customs cooperation - Implementation of the action plan

The Council took note of a report on the implementation of the EU's action plan for the strategy for customs cooperation during the period from 1 January 2007 to 30 June 2008.

COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY

Arms Trade Treaty

The Council adopted a decision to promote among third countries the process leading towards an Arms Trade Treaty .

On 6 December 2006 the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 61/89 entitled "Towards an Arms Trade Treaty: establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms".

In its conclusions of 11 December 2006, the Council welcomed the formal start of the process towards the elaboration of a legally binding international Arms Trade Treaty and noted with appreciation that a clear majority of UN Member States had supported the Resolution referred to above, including all EU Member States. The Council reaffirmed that the EU and its Member States would play an active role in this process, and underlined the importance of cooperation in this process with other States and regional organisations.

HUMAN RIGHTS

EU guidelines on human rights dialogues with third countries - Update

The Council adopted the EU guidelines on human rights dialogues with third countries. The guideline adopted is an update to the existing guidelines adopted in 2001.

These guidelines govern how the EU launches and conducts intensive dialogues with third countries. The guidelines also place dialogues within the global framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the EU's policy on human rights and stress then need for coherence and consistency of the EU's approach.

The guidelines cover the following points:

• - 

  basic principles

• - 

  objectives of human rights dialogues

• - 

  issues covered in human rights dialogues

• - 

  procedure for the initiation of human rights dialogues

• - 

  practical arrangements for human rights dialogues

• - 

  consistency between Member states' bilateral dialogues and EU dialogues

• - 

  consistency between human rights dialogues and EU resolutions to the UNGA and the HRC

• - 

  assessing human rights dialogues

• - 

  managing human rights dialogues

• - 

  the human rights position in political dialogues.

The guidelines will be shortly available on the following website EU Human Rights Policy .

TRADE POLICY

EU / Andean Community association agreement

The Council adopted a decision amending the authorisation mandate to the Commission in order to negotiate an association agreement with the Andean Community and its member countries.

APPOINTMENTS

European Economic and Social Committee

The Council adopted a Decision appointing as members for the remainder of the current term of office, which ends on 20 September 2010:

• - 

  Mr Carlos TRIAS PINTÓ, Asociación General de Consumidores (ASGECO);

• - 

  Ms Gabriela Bischoff, Bereichsleiterin Europapolitik im DGB;

• - 

  Ms Michaela Rosenberger, Vorstandsmitglied Gewerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten.

Committee of the Regions

The Council adopted a Decision appointing for the remainder of the current term of office, which ends on 25 January 2010:

as members:

• - 

  Mr Gerhard DÖRFLER, Landeshauptmann, Kärnten;

• - 

  Mr. Jens Jørgen Nygaard, 1. Viceborgmester, Egedal Kommune.

as alternate members:

• - 

  Ms Anna Margrethe Kaalund, Byrådsmedlem [Town Councillor], Viborg Kommune;

• - 

  Mr Jens Stenbæk, Viceborgmester [Deputy Mayor], Holbæk Kommune.

TRANSPARENCY

Public access to documents

The Council adopted the replies to:

• - 

  the reply to confirmatory application 22/c/01/08, the Swedish delegation voting against . 16718/08 );

• - 

  the reply to confirmatory application 23/c/01/08, the Danish, Finnish, Slovenian and Swedish delegations voting against ( doc. 16845/08); and

• - 

  the reply to confirmatory application 24/c/03/08, the Swedish delegation voting against ( doc. 16932/08).

DECISIONS TAKEN BY WRITTEN PROCEDURE

TACs and quotas for 2009*

The Council unanimously adopted [9] a regulation fixing for 2009 the fishing opportunities and associated conditions for certain fish stocks and groups of fish stocks, applicable in Community waters and, for Community vessels, in waters where catch limitations are required ( 17020/08, 5229/09).

For more details see press release 16916/08, p. 10.

[1] For further information see the Czech Presidency website: http://www.eu2009.cz/

[2] In particular on financial aspects, share of competence, public health issues and the

relationship between member states which are members of the OIV and those who are not.

[3] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/videostreaming

[4] Operators covered by the system shall apply a due diligence system to control timber that is placed on

the market for the first time.

[5] see 13090/03 (Council Conclusions of October 2003 in reaction to this Action Plan)

[6] Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Hungary. Denmark only supported the need to postpone the deadline

for the notification of changes to the end of 2009 instead of 30 June 2009.

[7] Cyprus, Slovak Republic, Ireland, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Austria, Belgium, Greece.

Poland favoured special refund payment instead. The Netherlands and Denmark judged it premature

and asked for a Commission thorough analysis before any decision is taken.

[8] the Estonian and Slovak delegations voting against the four acts, the Latvian delegation voting against

the "Direct Support" Regulation and the Regulation and Decision on Rural Development,

and the Czech delegation abstaining on the whole package.

[9] By written procedure on 16 January 2009.