Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products'
Date: 2000-04-27
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU aid, EU programme, child, educational institution, health policy, milk

C 168/16

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16.6.2000

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Regulation
amending Regulation (EC) No 1255/1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and
milk products’

(2000/C 168/05)

On 24 January 2000 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article
37 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, which was responsible for
preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 19 April 2000. The rapporteur
was Mr Kienle.

At its 372nd plenary session (meeting of 27 April 2000) the Economic and Social Committee adopted
the following opinion by 78 votes to two, with three abstentions:

1.

Introduction

For 16 years now the Community has been providing
1.1.
support to promote the consumption of milk by children and
young people. Schoolchildren who take advantage of this
arrangement receive a quarter of a litre of subsidised milk
per day. To date this subsidy has cost
the Community
EUR 96 million per annum.

1.2.
In the present proposal the European Commission
revises its original intention of discontinuing EU support for
the school milk programme. It does, however, want to reduce
Community support by continuing the arrangements with
50 % Community/50 % Member State financing. The Com-
munity contribution would fall to EUR 48 million.

2. Comments

The Committee considers that the health, nutritional
2.1.
and social policy objectives of the school milk programme are
of outstanding importance, even more so than the aim of
boosting sales, especially as the quantity involved is only 0,3 %
of total milk deliveries to dairies.

Brussels, 27 April 2000.

2.2.
Discontinuation of the programme would undoubtedly
lead to a fall in the availability and consumption of milk in
schools. Children and young people would be the losers. The
Committee would point out that an alarmingly large number
of children go to school without any breakfast. For many,
school milk is their only source of milk consumption.

The Committee welcomes the fact that the Agriculture
2.3.
Council has in principle expressly called for the programme’s
retention, hence the European Commission’s reconsideration
of its original intention to stop EU support.

The Committee stresses the great importance of a
2.4.
balanced diet for young and school-age children. Milk is one
of the most valuable foodstuffs and should be made attractive
to them by all modern distribution and marketing means.
Furthermore, the Committee regards it as essential that children
and young people throughout the Community continue to be
provided with subsidised school milk.

2.5.
The Committee fears, however, that in practice the
Commission proposal will lead to the end of school milk in
many Member States. It therefore calls for a solution which
will ensure the continuation of the school milk programme.
Under no circumstances must children become a political
football in a fight over the principle of co-financing.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI