Brussels, 27/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 27 June, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, affirmed: “I think that reaching an agreement on the common agricultural policy at the same time as on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 is a very fortunate coincidence”.
In response to questions from the press during a press conference, he explained that “some of the factors that are still pending in the negotiations on CAP have now been clarified with this decision on the budget”.
Does the agreement on the multiannual financial framework (MFF) remove some of the uncertainties on agricultural subjects linked to the future budget? In the negotiations on CAP reform, the EP called for progress to be made on capping and degressivity of direct aid. The debate on these subjects was postponed in the hope of having more clarification with regard to the substance of the MFF. The commissioner explained that “the fact that there is an agreement on the budget means that normally all these questions will be clarified and that we will be able to prepare for implementing common agricultural policy”. The Irish Presidency of the EU Council has called on states to allow a certain leeway on aid degressivity for amounts ranging from €150,000: it had proposed reducing them by 5% from this threshold, whilst rejecting the idea of an obligatory ceiling above €300,000, which the Commission and the Parliament wanted. The European Council has effectively decided that capping will be optional.
On the criticism from environmental NGOs, the commissioner defended greening measures: 30% of the total envelope (€280 billion) for direct aid to farmers will be conditional on respect for three different measures: crop diversification, maintaining permanent grassland and maintaining 5% then 7% zones of ecological interest from 2018. “We wanted to take account of what is already being done”, he added, by including measures that were deemed at least the equivalent in terms of environmental benefits. Furhtermore 30% minimum of the budget for rural development programmes will be allocated to agri-environmental measures, support for organic farming and projects linked to investment or innovation measures that protect the environment. Concluding on this theme, the commissioner explained that “this is a change of paradigm. We are opening the door to more sustainable farming”.
He also dismissed there being any possible renationalisation of the CAP. He noted that this criticism came from countries that were there at the beginning of European construction (when there was a CAP for six or nine countries of the EU). He said that EU policies must take into account new situations in Europe and therefore the diversity of the agricultural sector. He therefore believes that the instruments developed should be adapted accordingly. (LC/transl.fl)