Brussels, 08/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 8 May, the Irish Presidency of the Council of Ministers will inform EU agriculture ministers about the progress made during the trialogues on common agricultural policy (CAP) reform.
The Presidency hopes the ministerial debate to focus on three controversial subjects affecting the institutions. The EP and Commission want the aid system for young farmers to become compulsory, while the Council wants it to be optional. The institutions also have different views on aid for small farmers with regard to the threshold for exemption from new rules on the greening of aid and eco-conditions (aid paid on the basis of respecting certain environmental or animal well-being criteria). The EP and Council are requesting that the support system for small farmers be optional, whereas the Commission wants it to be compulsory. With regard to the definition of active farmers, the Council would like to allow countries to exclude certain undertakings and would like an optional negative list (undertakings that cannot benefit from agricultural aid, such as airports and golf clubs). The EP would like a compulsory negative list. The Presidency wants to see whether ministers can demonstrate a certain flexibility with regard to these three themes in order to facilitate a compromise during the next trialogues.
Greece will also discuss what it considers as the negative consequences of the Commission proposals on tobacco producers, included in the “tobacco directive”. (LC/transl.fl)