Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 857: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the Minister who agreed the EU Council Regulations 1290/2005 for the Irish Government when that was going through the European Parliament and when that directive was being agreed; the Minister that was there; the Minister that attended that particular meeting; and the way they represented the Irish Government in that regard. [1838/08]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2007 lays down the legislative framework for the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Regulation establishes a European Agricultural Guarantee Fund, from which measures such as the Single Farm Payment, Export Refunds and Market Intervention are funded, and a European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, from which co-funding is provided for measures such as REPS, the Early Retirement Scheme, the Farm Improvement Programme and the Installation Aid Scheme. Detailed mechanisms for the operation of the funds are set out in the Regulation.

Discussions on the original Commission proposal for the Regulation commenced at a Council Working Group in October 2004 which was attended by officials in my Department. Political agreement was reached at the Council of Agriculture Ministers in May 2005. In accordance with normal practice, I represented Ireland at the Council on that occasion. As the overwhelming balance of interest for Ireland and other Member States lay in ensuring that there is a sound regulatory framework underpinning the management of EU funding for the CAP into the future, I supported the final proposal which was agreed by a qualified majority of Member States.

A proposal to amend the Regulation was agreed at the Council of Agriculture Ministers in October 2007. The amendment strengthened a number of the financial control mechanisms in the original Regulation and incorporated a requirement which had already been included in the General Budget Regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 1605/2002) to publish details of the beneficiaries of EU funds. On this occasion, while supportive of the Commission's efforts to strengthen financial control procedures, I abstained in the vote on the basis of concerns about the publication of details of CAP payments. The proposal was approved by the Council by qualified majority vote. My Department does not participate in the deliberations of the European Parliament.