Ministers restated their commitment to finding an agreement on the file and discussed possible ways of overcoming the current standstill in negotiations.
"Despite our unwavering commitment to securing a positive outcome, negotiations on the organic regulation have made little progress recently. Today member states have asked the Maltese presidency to come with an updated text in the hope of reaching an agreement with the European Parliament before the end of our term. We are grateful for the trust given to us and we are committed to working on this dossier until the very last day”
Clint Camilleri, Maltese Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and president of the Council
However, in order to proceed however, the presidency requested a formal mandate to be given by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) ahead of the future trilogue, and that delegates would be fully empowered to agree on a mandate at the next SCA meeting.
The proposal on organic production and labelling of organic products, presented by the Commission in March 2014, is aimed at revising the existing legislation on organic production and labelling of organic products so as to remove obstacles to the sustainable development of organic production in the EU. Its objectives are also to guarantee fair competition for farmers and operators, prevent fraud and unfair practices and improve consumer confidence in organic products. The Commission proposed to strengthen the rules on the control system, trade regime, animal welfare practices and non-authorised substances.
The Council reached a general approach on the organic regulation on 16 June 2015 and the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) voted on its report on 13 October 2015. Negotiations started in November 2015 and so far seventeen trilogues have taken place.
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