Press Release: CAP reform: Fruit and vegetable reform will raise competitiveness, protect producers from crisis, increase consumption, improve environmental protection and simplify rules

The European Commission has proposed wide-ranging reforms to the Common Market Organisation for fruit and vegetables to bring this sector into closer line with the rest of the reformed Common Agricultural Policy. The proposals aim to improve the competitiveness and market orientation of the F&V sector, reduce income fluctuations resulting from crises, increase consumption, enhance environmental protection and, where possible, simplify the rules and reduce the administrative burden. The reform would encourage more growers to join Producer Organisations; offer POs a wider range of tools for crisis management; integrate the F&V sector into the Single Payment Scheme; require a minimum level of spending on environmental measures; higher EU funding of organic production and promotional measures; and abolish export subsidies for F&V. The Commission hopes that the Council and Parliament will approve the reform, which will be budget neutral, before the middle of 2007, allowing it to enter into force in 2008.

European Commission: DG Communication: MEMO/07/28 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/07/28&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: DG Communication: SPEECH/07/32 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/07/32&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

---