Nicosia, 10/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the informal Agriculture Council on Sunday 9 September, Dacian Ciolos was optimistic that the timetable for the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) would be adhered to.
“We are entering a decisive phase, with accelerated momentum”, said the European Agriculture Commissioner. He stated that the proposals of the European Commission were on the table and that the European Parliament's amendments were ready, whilst over at the Council, a kind of discussion summary document was being put together. The Member States have held in-depth discussions on direct payments and are continuing these on market measures and rural development. “The two institutions involved in the co-decision procedure must be able to move forward in parallel in order to avoid a huge gap in preparation between the Council and the EP come the end of December,” Ciolos said. He said that he was somewhat reassured and optimistic following the decision of the European Council in favour of an agreement at the end of the year on the 2014-2020 budget. “This corresponds to our provisional timetable for the reform of the CAP”, he said. The stated aim is to reach a final agreement on the reform under the Irish Presidency of the first half of 2013. This will require the Cypriot Presidency to stick to its agenda, in other words to allow the Council to agree on a partial general approach at the end of the year. At the same time, the agriculture committee of the EP has to adopt these compromise amendments. (LC/transl.fl)