CONFIDENTIAL
LATER DISCUSSION.
14. AFTER A BREAK, THE PRESIDENCY CIRCULATED A REVISED DRAFT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT MOST OF THE POINTS MADE. IN PARTICULAR, IT CATERED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF CERTIFICATION SYSTEMS AT THE REQUEST OF MEMBER STATES, ALTHOUGH THE MODALITIES WOULD BE FOR DECISION IN THE AD HOC GROUP. DISCUSSION OF THIS TEXT CONCENTRATED ON THE DEMARCATION LINE BETWEEN NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY ROLES IN I IMPLEMENTING AND ENFORCING THE REGULATION. SCHEER INSISTED THAT IT BE MADE CLEAR THAT MEMBER STATES COULD, PENDING THE COMMUNITY REACHING A POSITION, IMPOSE A GENERAL BAN ON IMPORTS OF PRODUCTS OF WHICH SAMPLES WERE CONTAMINATED. LARSEN ARGUED FOR A MINIMAL COMMUNITY ROLE IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REGULATION. OTHERS, NOTABLY BESELER AND UNGERER, UNDERLINED THE NEED FOR THE COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THE GENERAL COMPARABILITY OF MEMBER STATES' SYSTEMS OF CONTROL. THE FINAL TEXT, WHICH LARSEN AGREED TO COMMEND TO HIS AUTHORITIES, FOLLOWS BY DESKBY
MUFAX.
15. AMBASSADORS THEN RECONVENED IN RESTRICTED SESSION TO CONSIDER FURTHER THE ONE REMAINING QUESTION OF LEVELS. A NUMBER OF DELEGATIONS ATTEMPTED TO ARGUE THAT THE ARTICLE 31 GROUP HAD GOT IT WRONG OR HAD NOT REALLY ACHIEVED CONSENSUS. I EMPHASISED THE HOPELESSNESS OF PURSUING THE DISCUSSION IN THIS WAY AND ALSO MADE THE POINT THAT ANY LEVELS IMPOSED ON BABY FOOD SHOULD BE ON THEIR MILK EQUIVALENT RATHER THAN THEIR DRY WEIGHT. THE COMMISSION AGREED TO LOOK INTO THIS. RUTTEN THEN SAID THAT AGREEMENT ON A SCIENTIFIC BASIS WAS CLEARLY NOT POSSIBLE. IF AGREED LEVELS WERE TO BE ACHIEVED IT WOULD HAVE TO BE A POLITICAL AGREEMENT FOR AN INTERIM PERIOD UNTIL A MORE SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS COULD BE ESTABLISHED. IN LOOKING FOR SUCH AN AGREEMENT, AMBASSADORS SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE GREAT DISPARITY OF LEVELS ADOPTED BY OTHER STATES AS WELL AS THE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS ON TRADE OF SETTING LEVELS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THOSE ADOPTED BY THE UNITED STATES. HE SUGGESTED THAT A POSSIBLE COMPROMISE MIGHT BE 370 BQ/KG FOR MILK AND BABY FOOD AND 600 BQ/KG FOR OTHER FOODS. IF THESE LEVELS WERE AGREED, THE COUNCIL COULD ENTER A STATEMENT IN THE MINUTES UNDERLINING THEIR INTERIM NATURE. UNGERER SAID THAT HE WOULD COMMEND THESE VALUES TO HIS AUTHORITIES. LARSEN SAID THAT HE WOULD DO THE SAME ALTHOUGH HE COULD NOT PREDICT THE OUTCOME. IN ANY CASE, A DEFINITIVE DANISH POSITION
4 CONFIDENTIAL
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