Brussels, 26/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - France and the Netherlands have found common ground on some points of the common agricultural policy (CAP) including the greening of some aid and future CAP funding.
On Tuesday 24 May, French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire hosted discussions in Paris with his Dutch counterpart Henk Bleker on the future of the CAP. The two ministers agreed on “the importance of having a strong first pillar (direct aid and market spending) with targeted direct payments at the heart of the CAP”, says a press release from the French Ministry of Agriculture. The two reached agreement on a common approach to the greening of direct aid. The greening should “involve as many farmers as possible, improve sustainability and help innovation, while avoiding additional red tape. Its effect will be dependent on the financial means put at the disposal of the CAP as a whole”, the French ministry says.
Both governments said a strong CAP budget was essential. They indicated that the CAP budget after 2013 should be kept at its present level, while taking account of commitments already made, the press release says. In addition, they acknowledged the importance of the European beef sector and called for a high level group to be set up to identify the challenges to be faced by the sector and action that can be taken at Community level. (L.C./transl.rt)