Brussels, 15/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - European Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos states he is “seriously worried” by the European Council president's proposal to make a €25.5 billion cut in the natural resources heading of the EU budget. He considers that those hardest hit by such cuts will be those farmers already receiving least direct support. Herman Van Rompuy's proposal “goes against efforts to make CAP fairer, greener and more efficient”, Ciolos stresses, going on to conclude that the proposal takes the common agricultural policy (CAP) budget back 30 years.
According to a first analysis by Ciolos' services, the Commission already proposed to reduce direct payments by 12% between 2013 and 2020 in real terms. The new negotiating box sees a further cut of €13.2 billion - equal to 4.88% in direct payments. In addition, the crisis reserve (reduced to €2.8 billion) is now financed through Pillar 1 (direct aid and market spending), which brings the overall reduction in direct payments to €16.0 billion or -5.92%. The reduction in Pillar 1 funding will probably also mean “substantial” cuts in the programmes for wine, fruit and vegetables and for the outermost regions (POSEI), the services under Ciolos state. On rural development, the reduction recommended of €8.3 billion could mean a reduction of more than 20% in many member states. Greening is foreseen but the proposed “clearly defined flexibility” for member states indicated in the text could “call into question the coherence of the proposal”, the commissioner states with concern. (LC/transl.jl)