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During the last Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the Council discussed market developments and in particular the impact on the EU market of import ban on EU agricultural product imposed by Russia in August 2014 (5397/15). In response to the ban, the Commission triggered emergency market support measures for fruit, vegetables and dairy products, while also providing funds for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) promotion programmes.
The president of the Council recalled that "the Russian ban must be dealt with by the EU as a whole and that a differentiated treatment of Member States is unacceptable".
While acknowledging the measures, the Member States expressed concerns they might prove insufficient to alleviate the consequences of the ban on the EU market. For the sectors concerned ministers called for more to be done by extending the scope of certain measures and diversifying the tools used. Some member states drew the attention to the difficulties encountered by the pigmeat sector for which no market measures have so far been taken.
With regard to the relevant quantitative criteria for qualifying the situation on the market as a crisis situation, Member States expressed diverging views. The Commission pointed out that some emergency market measures have been already extended to mitigate the effect of the Russian ban in the coming months.
Concerning pig meat, the Commission indicated its readiness to evaluate the market situation and discuss about further measures if necessary at the next agriculture Council. Furthermore several Member States supported the Polish delegation which recalled the importance of the EU solidarity in particular when discussing with the Russian authorities to resume the EU export.
Monday January 26, 2015/ European Council/ European Union.
http://www.consilium.europa.eu
