Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the position regarding Common Agricultural Policy negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15064/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Considerable progress has been made over the last number of weeks in the negotiations on the reform of the CAP. As a first step, the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee adopted an initial position on the CAP reform package at the end of January. Further momentum was generated in early February when the clarity that had been awaited from the negotiations on the EU budget was delivered by the agreement on the Multi-annual Financial Framework at the European Council. Two weeks ago, the European Parliament finalised its position on the CAP reform package. And last week the Council of Agriculture Ministers successfully adopted - by a strong qualified majority - its General Approach on CAP Reform. The latter in particular marked a considerable achievement, taking place as it did against a background of lengthy, intensive negotiations with my Member State colleagues across a range of complex and sensitive issues.

The achievement of the Council General Approach is a vitally important development. It means that all three institutions are now ready to move on to the final, so-called ‘trilogue’, stage of the negotiation process, where the Irish Presidency will represent the Council in discussions with the European Parliament and with the Commission. It also means that the overall target of an inter-institutional political agreement by the end of June remains very much on schedule.

I am very hopeful that all participants across all three institutions will maintain their focus and redouble their efforts so that, together, we can bring the reform negotiations to a conclusion by the end of June.