PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products -sugar, processed fruit and vegetables, seeds, beef, milk and dairy products.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EC) No 361/2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation).

CONTENT: the Council adopted this Regulation amending Regulation 1234/2007, which replaced the different regulations on common market organisations (CMO) with a single common organisation for all agricultural markets. The amending regulation incorporates recently adopted provisions for sugar, seeds, milk and milk products, beef and veal and for the fruit and vegetables sector into the single CMO and repeals an important number of obsolete regulations in the fruit and vegetables sector. By doing so, it contributes to further regulatory simplification and helps ensure legal certainty.

As regards the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables, the respective CMOs will be repealed by the present Decision and their substance be fully incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation.

In parallel to the negotiations and adoption of the Single CMO Regulation, the Council also negotiated and adopted a series of policy decisions in several sectors. This is the case of the sugar, seeds, milk and milk products sectors. Those amendments need to be incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation in order to ensure that those policy decisions are being maintained from the application of the Single CMO Regulation in the sectors concerned.

The Council also negotiated and adopted a reform in the fruit and vegetables and the processed fruit and vegetables sectors. As a consequence, these sectors should now be fully incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation by way of introducing the policy decisions taken in Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007 in respect of the common organisation of the markets for the products of these two sectors into the Single CMO Regulation.

Lastly, a s regards beef and veal, it is necessary to incorporate into the Single CMO new measures introduced by Regulation No 700/2007 on the marketing of beef of bovine animals

aged 12 months or less.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 14/05/2008.

DATES OF APPLICATION: from 01/07/2008. However, the Regulation shall apply from 01/09/2008 for certain measures in the milk and milk products sector and from 01/10/2008 in respect of sugar.

The European Parliament adopted, by 560 votes to 40 with 19 abstentions, a legislative resolution under the consultation procedure, approving the proposal to amend Regulation (EC) N° 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) – sugar, processed fruit and vegetables, seeds, beef, milk and dairy products.

The report had been tabled for consideration by Neil PARISH (EPP-ED, UK) on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by Neil PARISH (EPP-ED, UK), under the consultation procedure, approving, in its current form, the proposal which aims to amend Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation) – sugar, processed fruit and vegetables, seeds, beef, milk and dairy products.

PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organization of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products ("Single CMO Regulation").

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

CONTENT: This proposal is an essential component in the Commission’s plans to streamline and simplify the common agricultural policy (CAP). The key issues of the Commission’s approach have been set out in its 2005 Communication on "Simplification and Better Regulation for the Common Agricultural Policy" (see INI/2006/2006 ) In this document, the Commission underlined that “reducing red tape in the farm sector by making rules more transparent, easier to understand and less burdensome will reduce costs for businesses and ensure that European citizens receive value for money".

As regards the common market organisations (CMOs) for sugar, seeds and milk and milk products, the Single CMO Regulation has already created the new legal framework and will repeal the existing sector specific CMO-Regulations as of the moment when the Single CMO Regulation starts to apply in each of these sectors, that is 1 July 2008 in respect of seeds and milk and milk products and 1 October 2008 in respect of sugar.

As regards the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables, the respective CMOs continue to exist alongside the Single CMO Regulation and will be repealed by the present proposal and their substance be fully incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation.

As concerns the CMO for beef and veal, the respective CMO has already fully been incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation and the new rules on the marketing contained in Regulation (EC) No 700/2007 now constitute the only rules that have not yet been submitted to the new horizontal legal framework.

Interested parties were consulted as part of the preparations for the Single CMO Regulation which has, in general, been seen as a positive step, making the law applicable in the area of CAP-market policy more transparent and more easily accessible.

Since submission of the proposal for the Single CMO Regulation, the previous CMOs in the sugar, seeds and milk and milk products sectors have been subject to substantive amendments. Those amendments have not yet been taken on board in the Single CMO Regulation. They have to be incorporated now to avoid that with the start of the application of the Single CMO Regulation the old legislation would be re-introduced.

Moreover, the Single CMO Regulation did not yet take on board the fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetables and wine sectors (with regard to these sectors, the Single CMO Regulation only foresees the applicability of the Management Committee procedure) because those sectors are or have been subject to a general policy reform. In recital 8 of the Single CMO Regulation it is spelled out that those sectors will have to be incorporated to their full extent once the policy reforms have been enacted. This is the case in respect of the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors which have been amended substantially by Council Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007 of 26 September 2007 laying down specific rules as regards the fruit and vegetable sector, amending Directives 2001/112/EC and 2001/113/EC and Regulations (EEC) No 827/68, (EC) No 2200/96, (EC) No 2201/96, (EC) No 2826/2000, (EC) No 1782/2003 and (EC) No 318/2006 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2202/96.

Lastly, by adoption of Regulation (EC) No 700/2007 of 11 June 2007, the Council adopted rules concerning the marketing of the meat of bovine animals aged 12 months or less. Given the general aim of the Single CMO Regulation to create one single horizontal legal framework for all market related rules of the CAP, these provisions should now also be taken on board.

PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 establishing a common organization of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products ("Single CMO Regulation").

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

CONTENT: This proposal is an essential component in the Commission’s plans to streamline and simplify the common agricultural policy (CAP). The key issues of the Commission’s approach have been set out in its 2005 Communication on "Simplification and Better Regulation for the Common Agricultural Policy" (see INI/2006/2006 ) In this document, the Commission underlined that “reducing red tape in the farm sector by making rules more transparent, easier to understand and less burdensome will reduce costs for businesses and ensure that European citizens receive value for money".

As regards the common market organisations (CMOs) for sugar, seeds and milk and milk products, the Single CMO Regulation has already created the new legal framework and will repeal the existing sector specific CMO-Regulations as of the moment when the Single CMO Regulation starts to apply in each of these sectors, that is 1 July 2008 in respect of seeds and milk and milk products and 1 October 2008 in respect of sugar.

As regards the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables, the respective CMOs continue to exist alongside the Single CMO Regulation and will be repealed by the present proposal and their substance be fully incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation.

As concerns the CMO for beef and veal, the respective CMO has already fully been incorporated into the Single CMO Regulation and the new rules on the marketing contained in Regulation (EC) No 700/2007 now constitute the only rules that have not yet been submitted to the new horizontal legal framework.

Interested parties were consulted as part of the preparations for the Single CMO Regulation which has, in general, been seen as a positive step, making the law applicable in the area of CAP-market policy more transparent and more easily accessible.

Since submission of the proposal for the Single CMO Regulation, the previous CMOs in the sugar, seeds and milk and milk products sectors have been subject to substantive amendments. Those amendments have not yet been taken on board in the Single CMO Regulation. They have to be incorporated now to avoid that with the start of the application of the Single CMO Regulation the old legislation would be re-introduced.

Moreover, the Single CMO Regulation did not yet take on board the fruit and vegetables, processed fruit and vegetables and wine sectors (with regard to these sectors, the Single CMO Regulation only foresees the applicability of the Management Committee procedure) because those sectors are or have been subject to a general policy reform. In recital 8 of the Single CMO Regulation it is spelled out that those sectors will have to be incorporated to their full extent once the policy reforms have been enacted. This is the case in respect of the fruit and vegetables and processed fruit and vegetables sectors which have been amended substantially by Council Regulation (EC) No 1182/2007 of 26 September 2007 laying down specific rules as regards the fruit and vegetable sector, amending Directives 2001/112/EC and 2001/113/EC and Regulations (EEC) No 827/68, (EC) No 2200/96, (EC) No 2201/96, (EC) No 2826/2000, (EC) No 1782/2003 and (EC) No 318/2006 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2202/96.

Lastly, by adoption of Regulation (EC) No 700/2007 of 11 June 2007, the Council adopted rules concerning the marketing of the meat of bovine animals aged 12 months or less. Given the general aim of the Single CMO Regulation to create one single horizontal legal framework for all market related rules of the CAP, these provisions should now also be taken on board.