Informal Meeting of the EU Agriculture Ministers

from 19 September 2010 to 21 September 2010
12:00 - 14:00

The Ministers of Agriculture of the 27 Member States of the Union and the four candidate countries as well as the European Commissioner for Agriculture will visit farm sites together on Monday 20/09 in order to find out about the specific features and the dynamism of Belgian agriculture. On 21/09 in the course of an informal meeting whose theme is "European agriculture: choosing today for a strong CAP tomorrow", they will exchange their views on the directions to take for the Common Agricultural Policy after 2013.

The future of various aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy beyond 2013 has already been approached during informal meetings organised by the previous presidencies.

From April to June 2010 the European Commission organised a public consultation on this subject. On 19 and 20 July a major public debate organised in Brussels presented the conclusions of this consultation and was an occasion for numerous players in civil society and the agriculture sector to express themselves on this subject.

On the other hand, Commissioner Cioloş has announced a communication on the future of the CAP after 2013 for the end of the month of November.

Legislative proposals are expected for the end of the first half of 2011.

The informal meeting in La Hulpe whose theme is "European agriculture: choosing today for a strong CAP tomorrow" will provide an opportunity for the ministers to freely exchange their views on the future of the CAP, taking into account the expectations and concerns of civil society expressed during the public consultation and the conference.

In this spirit, the work will be conducted in working groups allowing a more open, more dynamic and more constructive dialogue among the ministers. The results of this work will be synthesised in a plenary session of the informal meeting.

Provisional Programme

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Councils: Agriculture and Fisheries

Where

Dolce Hotel, Chaussée de Bruxelles 135, 1310 La Hulpe

Conference centre, Hotel, Parking, Refreshments, Wifi

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Sophie Van Malleghem
Press-Communications Manager
sophie.vanmalleghem@laruelle.fgov.be
+32 (0)2 541 63 92

Decision-making process

Council of the EU:
The Council decides

The Council decides on legislative proposals. This takes place in accordance with normal legislative procedure, in consultation with the European Parliament. The Council meets in various configurations. There have been ten council configurations since the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect. Each council configuration deals with a number of fixed areas and is comprised of the authorised national ministers. Every minister in the Council is authorised to enter into agreements on behalf of their government. Each council configuration – except for the Foreign Affairs Council, which is chaired by the High Representative – is chaired by the member state currently presiding over the rotating six month role.
European Parliament:
The European Parliament decides

The European Parliament has various commissions. They prepare the contents of the recommendations for the legislative proposals. The European Parliament, together with the Council, accepts legislative proposals from the European Commission. Since the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect, the procedure whereby both institutions decide on the vast majority of the areas on an equal footing (normal legislative procedure) has been applicable. In this normal legislative procedure, both institutions must approve the legislative proposal in question. The European Parliament can accept, reject or change the content of legislative proposals.
Council working groups and the COREPER:
The council working groups and the COREPER prepare

The council working groups and the Permanent Representatives Committee prepare the Council activities. They attempt to prepare the ground as much as possible for a compromise. There is therefore a long and intensive preparation before every Council meeting. The member state chairing the Council presides over the Coreper and the bulk of the council working groups.
European Commission:
The European Commission draws up new legislative proposals

The European Commission draws up legislative proposals that it presents to the Parliament and the Council. These proposals must protect the interests of the EU as a whole. The Commission is comprised of 27 members. Each member state therefore nominates one member. The College of Commissioners meets every week on Wednesday mornings in Brussels. In these meetings they discuss each point on the agenda and then make a collective decision. Each member of the Commission can request a vote. The European Commission decides by normal majority.

Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

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