Brussels, 05/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has noted progress on the delegated acts implementing common agricultural policy (CAP) reform but it is still not completely satisfied.
On Wednesday 5 February, Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos met representatives of the European Parliament agriculture committee (including the chairman of the committee, the rapporteurs on CAP reform and the political coordinators) for a discussion on the process of drawing up delegated acts, which is being finalised at the European Commission. Ciolos pointed out that these acts cover “technical issues”, but they are expected to “rigorously” translate the June 2013 political agreement. The commissioner said that he wanted this process, “to be transparent and open to the comments from the two co-legislators who have both contributed”. He also said that the meeting had appeared to him to have been “constructive, which is positive for the next steps”.
The chairman of the agriculture committee of the EP, Paolo De Castro (S&D, Italy), was pleased that the commissioner had agreed to take into account certain “crucial demands” from the EP in the new revised text on the delegated acts on CAP reform.
Even though the gap between the Commission and the Parliament is narrowing, “there are still diverging views on issues of utmost importance”. These include conditions for payment of aid to active and young farmers, the weighting factor for nitrogen fixing crops (an issue related to Ecological Focus Areas) and penalties for not applying greening measures properly, stated De Castro, who called on the commissioner “to not rest on his laurels but to make the final improvements in the texts of the delegated acts as soon as possible to ensure their smooth and timely approval”.
Once adopted by the Commission, expected on 10 March, the draft delegated acts will be passed to the Council and the European Parliament. These institutions will then have a two-month period, renewable once, to accept or reject the texts. (LC/transl.fl)