Allister raises Concerns about loss of Expertise
24 May 2007
This week in the European Parliament a debate took place on a Commission proposal to consolidate 21 existing regulations on sector-specific common market organisations (CMOs) into a single regulation and in consequence to have only a single management committee, rather than the different committees which presently exist for each sector.
Speaking in the debate Jim Allister MEP welcomed all moves to reduce the volume of regulation, but expressed concern less expertise built up in each sectoral committee might be lost in a single CMO. It would be a shame if, for example, expertise on the pig sector was lost because the reduced number of experts appointed to the new single committee did not include a pig expert.
In the course of his remarks Mr Allister said:-
"Consolidation of 21 regulations on sector-specific common market organisations (CMOs) into a single regulation which combines all sectors, as a simplification step is welcome, but it is the impact on the ground which really matters. Simplification must translate into noticeable improvements in terms of a lesser bureaucratic burden for the agri-food sector across all member states.
However, we must not denude the new management committee, or committees, of the valuable expertise which existed on the outgoing sectoral management committees. A super CMO, which on the face of it ticks the boxes of regulation reduction, but which diminishes expert sectoral input would be only a short-term gain.
A triumph of bureaucrats over experts is not a good deal. Sectoral expertise has been valuable and must be preserved. Thus I wait to hear from the Commission assurance as to how sectoral expertise will be retained and utilised."
