ERC/98/REP

INTRODUCTION

• OPENING OF THE SESSION
• ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN, VICE-CHAIRMEN AND APPOINTMENT OF THE RAPPORTEUR (AGENDA ITEM 2)
• ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND TIMETABLE (AGENDA ITEM 3)
• OFFICIAL CEREMONY (AGENDA ITEM 1)
• STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL (AGENDA ITEM 4)
• COUNTRY STATEMENTS AND GENERAL DEBATE ON THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SITUATION IN THE REGION (AGENDA ITEM 5)
• FOLLOW-UP TO THE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT (AGENDA ITEM 6)
• CHANGES IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN THE REGION: THE ROLE OF THE CONSUMER VIS-A-VIS THE PRODUCER - TOWARDS A COMMON APPROACH TO QUALITY (AGENDA ITEM 7)
• THE USES AND BENEFITS OF SOIL INFORMATION (AGENDA ITEM 8)
• REPORT ON FAO ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION, 1996-97 (AGENDA ITEM 9)
• REPRESENTATION OF THE REGION ON THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (CGIAR) (AGENDA ITEM 10)
• PRESENTATION OF WAICENT SERVICES WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON PLANT AND ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES IN THE EUROPEAN REGION (AGENDA ITEM 11)
• DATE AND PLACE OF THE TWENTY-SECOND FAO REGIONAL CONFERENCEFOR EUROPE (AGENDA ITEM 12)
• ANY OTHER BUSINESS (AGENDA ITEM 13)
  • Regional Distribution of Council Seats
• ADOPTION OF THE REPORT (ITEM 14)
• CLOSURE OF THE CONFERENCE (AGENDA ITEM 15)

INTRODUCTION

1. The Twenty-first FAO Regional Conference for Europe was held in Tallinn, Estonia from 25 to 29 May 1998 at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of Estonia.

2. The List of Participants is given in Appendix A to this Report.

OPENING OF THE SESSION

3. On behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr Manfred Lindau, Regional Representative for Europe, welcomed participants and expressed particular thanks to the Government of Estonia for the generous hospitality and the excellent facilities provided for the Conference. He highlighted the necessity for action aimed at sustainable food security as well as the need for a debate leading to recommendations on issues facing the agricultural sector in the European Region.

4. In his welcome address on behalf of Estonia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Toomas Hendrik Ilves, underlined the importance of FAO’s normative activities of concern to the entire membership of the Region and stressed the impact of FAO’s efforts in support of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe undergoing economic and institutional transition.

ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN, VICE-CHAIRMEN AND APPOINTMENT OF THE RAPPORTEUR (AGENDA ITEM 2)

5. The Conference unanimously elected Mr Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Estonia as Chairman.

6. The following vice-chairmen were elected by acclamation:

• Mr Dinu Gavrilescu, Minister for Agriculture and Food of Romania;
• Mr Costas Themistocleous, Minister for Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment of Cyprus;
• Mr Kalevi Hemilä, Minister for Agriculture and Forestry of Finland;
• Mr John Slater, Head of Economics and Statistics Group, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the United Kingdom.

7. Ms Cecilia Nordin Van Gansberghe, Head of Section, Ministry of Agriculture of Sweden, was elected Rapporteur.

ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA AND TIMETABLE [ ERC/98/1 and ERC/98/INF/2] (AGENDA ITEM 3)

8. The Conference adopted the Agenda as shown in Appendix B to this Report, with the addendum to the Provisional Agenda of "Regional Distribution of Council Seats" to Item 13.

OFFICIAL CEREMONY (AGENDA ITEM 1)

9. The Director-General of FAO, Mr Jacques Diouf, welcomed participants to the High Level Segment and expressed deep appreciation to the Government of Estonia for the generous hospitality extended to all participants and for the excellent facilities provided. The fact that the Region’s leaders, responsible for agriculture, were gathered together for the first time in a country situated in the northern outskirts of Europe, laid the foundations for meeting the challenges of agricultural and rural development of the twenty-first century.

10. The Prime Minister of Estonia, Mr Mart Siimann, in his welcome address, underlined the importance of cooperation between FAO and Estonia. In particular he referred to the assistance provided by FAO in formulating a long-term agricultural strategy and to FAO’s neutral and unbiased advice. He also stressed that Estonia’s objective was to develop a dynamic and internationally competitive agriculture which would provide security for the people engaged in the sector, ensure moderate food prices for the consumers, develop a fair revenue system and ensure free movement of goods and exports within the context of rural development and environmental protection.

STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL (AGENDA ITEM 4)

11. The Director-General delivered his Statement to the Conference, the text of which is given in Appendix C to this report.

COUNTRY STATEMENTS AND GENERAL DEBATE ON THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SITUATION IN THE REGION (AGENDA ITEM 5)

12. The general debate was opened by Mr Franz Fischler, Member of the European Commission, responsible for agriculture and rural development who recalled that, on the occasion of the Twenty-ninth Session of the FAO Conference, he had the opportunity to outline how the European Union expected food markets to develop and impact of these developments on food security. He informed the Conference that the next wave of EU enlargement shaded all previous ones by virtue of the sheer number of candidates for accession and stressed that the applicant countries and the Union itself needed to prepare themselves thoroughly for enlargement and make the necessary accommodations. However, enlargement of the Union towards the east would not only give a clear boost to political stability and security but also raise the profile of the Union’s common foreign and security policy.

13. Twenty-one Heads of Delegation took the floor: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, EC, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey (Greece presented their written statement to the Secretariat), to report on the food and agriculture situation in their respective countries and to comment on the overall economic and agricultural situation and on policies and issues affecting the agricultural and rural sectors. These statements drew particular attention to:

• the necessity to continue reform of the Common Agricultural Policy;
• the need to meet consumers’ expectations on food quality and food safety;
• the pre-accession strategies enabling applicant countries to adopt the acquis communautaire;
• challenges facing the agricultural sector in preparation for the next round of WTO negotiations;
• the economically, ecologically and socially sustainable agriculture which takes into account preservation of the countryside, maintaining viable rural areas and arresting job losses and migration from rural areas for both men and women;
• the need for sound management of the Region’s forestry and fishery resources and ecologically fragile areas;
• the willingness of Member Nations to share their experiences of overcoming often difficult transition periods;
• the importance of cooperation at all levels, local, regional, national and international.

14. A number of delegates reported on their TeleFood 1997 activities in their countries and the preparation for TeleFood 1998.

15. The Conference was informed of the assistance given by the World Food Programme (WFP) to selected countries in Europe.

FOLLOW-UP TO THE WORLD FOOD SUMMIT [ ERC/98/3] (AGENDA ITEM 6)

16. In his introduction of the item, Mr M. Lindau, Regional Representative for Europe, recalled arrangements for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Summit’s Plan by the twenty third session of the Committee on World Food Security, in line with Commitment 7 of the World Food Summit Plan of Action. It was recalled that reporting should focus on actions taken towards achieving specific objectives, following the structure of the Commitments and Objectives of the Plan, and where available, results including quantitative assessments under each of the objectives.

17. With regard to the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems (FIVIMS), the Regional Representative recalled the steps undertaken to implement the short term actions recommended for the development of FIVIMS, i.e. the activities of the Inter-agency Working Group on FIVIMS (IAWG-FIVIMS) and designation of country focal points; by mid-April 1998, 50 countries had designated their focal points and these had been provided with information and documentation on FIVIMS.

18. The Regional Representative also informed the Conference that by 17 May 1998, the Secretariat had received reports from 68 countries, of which 22 from European Member Nations, and from the European Commission.

19. From the ensuing discussion, the Conference took note of the following:

• The European Union noted that the Regional Conference was an important opportunity for FAO to present information to its membership and to obtain guidance from them. Paper ERC/98/3 was an accurate record of actions and referred to important elements in the World Food Summit follow-up which the EU endorsed. The EU noted that its report on World Food Summit Plan of Action covered the wide range of actions needed to improve food security in this Region and more widely. The value of the EMPRES programme, when well focused, was noted. On the Special Programme for Food Security, the EU recalled the importance it attached to a full analysis of constraints and opportunities before projects were designed. More generally, the EU found it difficult to highlight priority areas for FAO in the Region, in the absence of a clear analysis of FAO’s comparative advantages in relation to the countries concerned. Discussion earlier in the week had emphasised the importance, given FAO’s limited resources, of clear detailed objectives and priorities which were communicated to member governments and against which progress should be reported at future regional conferences. Country statements of the Conference had further highlighted the importance of assessing the contribution FAO programmes can make to meeting the challenges facing agricultural producers and consumers in parts of Central and Eastern Europe;
• Norway emphasised the importance of involving NGOs as active partners in the Summit follow–up; at the national level this had been achieved by permanently expanding the Norwegian FAO Committee and also by arranging a major conference which would take place on 15 and 16 October 1998;
• the Nordic countries had agreed on a coordinated programme for the follow–up of the World Food Summit which centred on (i) sustainable agriculture; (ii) genetic resources/biodiversity; (iii) food safety; (iv) strengthening the cooperation with relevant Nordic and Baltic countries; and (v) international activities;
• the problem of few national reports submitted by the deadline set. This clearly indicated that national governments faced difficulties in this exercise and remedial action was therefore called for;
• some population groups in economies in transition faced food insecurity due to an unbalanced diet, lacking vital elements and low incomes, with a major responsibility to be assumed by national health education and information programmes.

CHANGES IN FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN THE REGION: THE ROLE OF THE CONSUMER VIS-A-VIS THE PRODUCER - TOWARDS A COMMON APPROACH TO QUALITY [ ERC/98/4] (AGENDA ITEM 7)

20. In reviewing the document submitted by the Secretariat, the Conference noted the importance of food safety issues in all countries and highlighted the following:

• the need to assure food quality and safety, including comprehensive and harmonised food regulations based on Codex Alimentarius (Codex) and World Trade Organization Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), adequate inspection, sampling and analysis programmes, and efficient and effective food industry control mechanisms at all levels;
• that many countries of the Region were actively reviewing and updating food regulations and strengthening control and monitoring activities;
• that changes in food consumption patterns in some countries, had resulted in nutritional problems, in others, this had led to an improvement of the nutritional quality of the diet;
• the need for access to good quality and safe food, including traditional and newer food products, as well as informative labelling, including where appropriate the origin and method of production;
• the social, cultural and ethical dimensions of food to which consumers in some areas of the Region are particularly sensitive;
• the problems that regulations may pose to small and developing countries and the need for a balance to be struck so that adequate measures are taken which do not create further impediments to trade and discriminate against food exporters where control systems are less well developed.

21. There was general agreement on:

• the importance of science-based standards, guidelines and recommendations, including those under FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius in attaining harmonised regulations to promote trade of good quality and safe foods;
• the necessity for active and open dialogue and cooperation between consumers, consumer organizations, government authorities and the food producers, processors and marketers which would help to meet consumer demands and nutritional and food safety needs.

22. The Conference noted:

• the need for FAO and other technical assistance programmes for developing countries and countries in transition to improve consumer protection and assure improved food quality and safety;
• the development of a new Joint FAO/IAEA Training and Laboratory Centre in Seibersdorf (Austria), to produce new methods of analysis, standard testing materials, and carry out and coordinate food quality and safety training.

23. It was recommended:

• that FAO continue to use a transparent process to select independent scientific experts to participate in FAO and FAO/WHO expert consultations making recommendations on various aspects of food quality and safety, including chemical and microbiological problems in foods.

THE USES AND BENEFITS OF SOIL INFORMATION [ ERC/98/5] (AGENDA ITEM 8)

24. In considering the document prepared by the Secretariat, attention was drawn to the actual and potential problems of soil degradation. Examples of current problems included erosion in many areas, the substantial loss of top soil and the loss of good agricultural land to urbanisation where this was limited.

25. There was general agreement on the importance of adequate soil information systems in the prevention of soil degradation and in assisting in the process of crop forecasting. It was noted that the importance of the issues was recognised in the World Soil Charter of FAO and in the European Soil Charter. A number of databases had been integrated into a single European Information System covering the EU member states, EFTA countries and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

26. The Conference, noting FAO activities in developing a world soil and terrain database, accepted a proposal by the EU presidency that it should invite the European Commission to examine the possibility of financing the extension of the European Soil Information System (EUSIS) to incorporate information from countries which are entitled to attend this Conference.

27. This action would be subject to its cost-effectiveness and would take into account parallel activities in various countries and their national and regional bodies, to avoid duplication of effort.

28. The Conference also noted that the issue of scale would need to be addressed but that all participating countries would be invited to take part in the technical consultation process.

REPORT ON FAO ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION, 1996-97 [ ERC/98/2 and ERC/98/2-Supp.1] (AGENDA ITEM 9)

29. In reviewing the document submitted by the Secretariat, the Conference:

• welcomed the new format of the document which made a distinction between the main normative activities of direct interest and concern to the entire membership, and the operational activities, geared to assist the former centrally planned economies in formulating measures and institutional reforms for transition to market economies, and which followed the structure of the Programme of Work and Budget under major programmes, and also the part concerning future programming;
• indicated with regret that the document did not mention the activities undertaken by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division in Vienna under sub-programme 2.1.5.3 and requested that such activities be reported in the future;
• underlined the need for FAO to tailor its assistance according to the progress achieved in the transition process by the Central and Eastern European and CIS countries;
• stressed that there was a need for synergy and coordination in the assistance provided to the Central and Eastern European and CIS countries by FAO and by multi- and bilateral donors, in particular with the EC programmes for the CEE and CIS countries (Phare and Tacis) and with the UN system (IFAD and WFP in particular);
• underlined the need for FAO to provide support to the countries seeking accession to the EU as well as membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) assisting them to meet the required criteria;
• took note of the status of implementation or formulation of the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) in the six low-income food-deficit countries (LIFDCs) in the Region;
• expressed appreciation for the activities undertaken by EASTFISH regional project, through which FAO promotes trade and investment in the region and supports the participating countries in modernising their aquaculture and fish processing sectors.

30. The Conference found the priority issues in the Region as contained in paragraphs 87 to 90 of the document rather broad. It stressed that FAO should endeavour to focus its attention, particularly in the following fields:

• provide normative advice and technical assistance to Member Nations continuing transition process to ensure greater integration in regional and world markets;
• participate in the development of setting up and/or improving land cadastre systems and functioning farmland markets, including succession property rights and access to land for young people;
• continue to provide assistance in support of management of fragile ecosystems and sustainable mountain development, in particular for the sustainable management of forest resources;
• provide support in the conservation and management of plant and animal genetic resources;
• participate in the development of nutrition programmes, food control and food health issues in general.

31. The Conference also stressed that future programme orientations take into consideration the evolving situation in the Region. Priority areas should be accompanied by an indication of the Organization’s comparative advantage on which the Organization should focus its activities, and find partners for requested assistance outside of these areas.

32. The Conference recalled the recommendation of the 20th Regional Conference in Tel Aviv in 1996 that "future reports provide quantitative data regarding resources allocated to the Region under the Regular Programme and from extra budgetary sources, as well as a qualitative assessment of resource utilisation on which recommendation on future directions could be based" (ERC/96/REP, para 13). These data had been requested to allow members to give recommendations regarding future programme orientation to face priority issues in the Region, as requested by Conference Resolution 14/69 "Authority, Terms of Reference and Constitutional Status of Regional Conferences".

33. Attention was drawn to the need for more specific objectives to meet the challenges of the Region listed in the report of FAO activities (ERC/98/2); and for priorities to be established and made known to both the FAO’s membership and more widely, which take into account the programmes of other organizations and the particular expertise of the FAO.

34. Having noted with regret that the Conference document ERC/98/2 did not contain data, as called for in the Tel Aviv recommendation, the Conference requested the Secretariat to make available to it the figures for regional planned expenditure to be found in the 1998/99 Programme of Work and Budget, and to indicate when the FAO budgetary systems would be developed to a point where the recommendation of the 20th Regional Conference could be complied with, and to structure its report to the next, i.e. 22nd European Regional Conference, under the priorities identified at this one.

35. To respond positively to the above request, the Secretariat subsequently provided Annex I/6 of the Programme of Work and Budget, 1998/99 which contained information on regional estimates by programmes. The Secretariat explained that it could not provide more detailed information on quantitative data regarding resources allocated by regions under the Regular Programme, because the FAO Programme of Work and Budget, as approved by the Conference, followed a sectorial approach i.e. structured by major programmes. Consequently, the report on expenditures followed the same structure. The Secretariat further indicated that to fully satisfy the recommendation under para 13 of ERC/96/REP required a new presentation on a regional basis allowing for an objective framework to report on a regional basis. Such fundamental change to the present budget presentation could be decided only by the FAO Conference.

36. The Conference reaffirmed the Tel Aviv recommendation, and decided to pursue the matter through consultations between the European Regional Group (ERG) and the Secretariat on ways and means to get the requested information.

REPRESENTATION OF THE REGION ON THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH (CGIAR) [ ERC/98/6] (AGENDA ITEM 10)

37. In line with the recommendation in paragraph 20 of ERC/98/6, the Conference established a Sub-Committee (Germany, Iceland, Malta, Poland and Switzerland) to screen the nine candidatures submitted by the following Member Nations: Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia and Turkey. On the recommendation of the Sub-Committee, the Conference elected Mr Ervin Balázs, Director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Centre in Gödöllö (Hungary), to represent the Region on the CGIAR for the period 1999-2002.

PRESENTATION OF WAICENT SERVICES WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON PLANT AND ANIMAL GENETIC RESOURCES IN THE EUROPEAN REGION (AGENDA ITEM 11)

38. The Conference expressed appreciation for the World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT) presentation and endorsed WAICENT’s activities, in particular in the area of plant and animal genetic resources. Furthermore, it suggested that user friendliness and demand-driven data presentation were essential. The Secretariat noted this, and also encouraged further dialogue.

39. The Conference noted that as a result of the FAO/European Federation of Zootechniques/EAAP (European Association of Animal Production) meeting held in Vienna in August 1997, France, through the Department for Genetic Resources had accepted the responsibility to serve as European Regional Focal Point for the conservation of animal genetic resources. The main objective is to establish the basis for the development and management of the network, comprising 37 European Countries, dealing with various aspects of animal genetic resources management.

40. The Conference also took note of the activities undertaken by EAAP in CEE and CIS countries.

DATE AND PLACE OF THE TWENTY-SECOND FAO REGIONAL CONFERENCE
FOR EUROPE (AGENDA ITEM 12)

41. The Conference noted that no proposals had yet been submitted on the date and place of the 22nd FAO Regional Conference for Europe.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS (AGENDA ITEM 13)

Regional Distribution of Council Seats [ ERC/98/INF/7]

42. The Conference took note of the statement delivered on this agenda item by the Head of the Delegation of Germany, which is reproduced below in extenso:

• "In meetings previous to the 21st FAO Regional Conference for Europe, the member countries of the European Regional Group had identified the unbalanced distribution of Council seats between the seven FAO Regions and within the European Region as one needing a satisfactory solution. A similar unbalanced situation is found with respect to seat distribution in the subsidiary bodies of the Council.
• This problem has its main cause in the increase of the number of FAO members over the past twenty years, both in Europe and in other regions to a total of 175 Member Nations, whilst the number of Council seats has remained unchanged, i.e. 49.
• The issue of a more balanced distribution of Council seats should therefore be discussed at the 115th Session of the Council in November 1998.
• The Director-General is requested to place this topic on the agenda of the forthcoming Council Session.
• To facilitate the finding of viable options for the solution to this problem, we suggest that a similar procedure be adopted as in the mid-seventies in preparing for the latest change in the number of Council seats (November 1977).
• This entails the establishment by the Council of an inter-regional working party on the composition of the Council, the Programme and Finance Committees and the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters.

43. As Chairman of the European Regional Group, I propose that the foregoing text be included in the Report of the 21st FAO Regional Conference for Europe."

ADOPTION OF THE REPORT (ITEM 14)

44. With some amendments, the text of the draft report was approved by the Conference.

CLOSURE OF THE CONFERENCE (AGENDA ITEM 15)

45. The Conference expressed deep appreciation to the Government of Estonia for the excellent organization and generous hospitality offered during the Conference to delegations. It also wished to put on record its appreciation for the highly interesting study tours organized for delegations to become acquainted with Estonian agriculture and countryside.