PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ATTENDS COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONFERENCE ON AGRICULTURE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES

The Committee on the Environment and Agriculture of the Council of Europe, together with the European Parliament, is organising a conference on agriculture in the Mediterranean countries, to be held in Strasbourg on the 14th and 15th June 2001.

Amongst the subjects to be discussed during this conference, which will bring together parliamentarians and representatives of farming organisations from the Mediterranean countries, are:

Mediterranean modes of production within a sustainable and multifunctional model;

Towards sustainable rural development in the Mediterranean basin; and

The agricultural and commercial stakes in enlargement and WTO challenges.

The opening session of the conference will be addressed by:

Lord Russell-Johnston, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;

Mr Renzo Imbeni, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and

Mr Gerard Doornbos, President of the International Federation of Agricultural Producers.

The Maltese parliamentary delegation comprises the Hon. Dr. Francis Agius, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries of the Council of Europe, and the Hon. Mr. Noel Farrugia, Main Opposition Spokesperson on Agriculture.