Following the decision of the European Council in December 2005 on the
financial perspectives, the Commission has published the rural development
budget for the 25 Member States for 2007-2013. These funds will go towards
increasing the competitiveness of the farming and forestry sectors, supporting
environmental programmes, as well as creating new jobs and businesses in rural
areas.
The European Commission has unveiled on 22 June a proposal for a sweeping
reform of the EU wine sector. After much consultation with the stakeholders,
the Commission's preferred option is a comprehensive reform tailored to the
specific needs and characteristics of the wine sector.
The Commission has proposed a set of measures to improve the control of
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) before they arrive on European markets.
The measures aim to bring about "practical improvements to the European GMO
legislative framework", such as by reinforcing the scientific consistency
and transparency of decisions in this domain. For this, the Commission will
cooperate with the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), which was founded in
2002 in Parma.
