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Common organisation of the market in milk and milk products

2007/0026(CNS)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Elisabeth JEGGLE (EPP, ED, DE), and made some amendments to the proposal amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products.

Parliament made the following amendments:

a) budgetary savings resulting from standardisation should be retained for the milk sector. Accordingly, a milk fund restructuring programme shall be set up by 1 January 2008 at the latest to accompany and support the reform measures in the milk sector.

  • The objectives of the milk fund restructuring programme shall include, inter alia:

    supporting the restructuring process for milk producers and processors who are affected by increasing market liberalisation;
  • strengthening marketing support and nutrition awareness measures (promotional activities) for the milk sector;
  • maintaining and modernising milk production under difficult conditions in mountain regions;
  • reinforcing the scheme to distribute milk to schools;

b) Parliament was in favour of the introduction of a single rate of aid for milk distributed in schools. The Commission had proposed the Community aid to be set at 16.11 euros/100 kg however the Committee believes that it should be increased to 18.15 euros/100 kg;

c) private storage of cream and skimmed milk powder (SMP) should not be abolished;

d) the Commission shall present an impact assessment on the implementation of the school milk scheme and, in this context, explore other options for widening the range of products that fall within the school milk scheme. In so doing, it shall take particular account of new, innovative and healthy products.

It should be noted that, to simplify the common market organisation (CMO) in milk and milk products, the Commission proposed three sets of amendments to current legislation. This proposal is closely related to the proposal on amending Directive 2001/114/EC relating to certain partly or wholly dehydrated preserved milk for human consumption (CNS/2007/0025) and the proposal amending Regulation (EC) No2597/1997 laying down additional rules on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products for drinking milk (CNS/2007/0027.)