The European Parliament may soon have to vote on a proposal supported by the EPP Group, objecting to measures simplifying the greening of direct aid. The draft delegated act was proposed by the European Commission on 15 February (see EUROPE 11727).
Just like the Council of the EU, Parliament has two months (with possible extension by two further months), that is, until 15 April in this case, to accept or reject the delegated act submitted by the Commission in its entirety.
The coordinators of the parliamentary agriculture committee, meeting on 28 February, discussed a call from the EPP seeking to object to the text.
The EPP Group opposes, in particular, the controversial ban (supported by the Commission) on the use of plant health products on what are called “productive” ecological focus areas (EFAs) (mainly leguminous plants). At the end of February, German Christian Democrat Albert Dess called for the period of scrutiny of the text to be extended by two further months. This is to increase pressure on the Commission to ditch the ban on pesticides on EFAs. The ALDE Group apparently supported the request for extension of the period of scrutiny, with the ECR Group abstaining.
Await CAP reform. For the S&D Group, Eric Andrieu (France) opposed the two-month extension. This group also decided, not to object to the delegated act. “The issue of greening has been raised broadly as part of reform of the common agricultural policy. It is not through a delegated act that things will be revolutionised”, S&D Group MEPs argue.
Procedure. If a political group wishes to object to a delegated act, it must register its objection. Then, under the procedure, a vote on the objection, to be carried by simple majority, will be held in Parliamentary committee. A plenary session vote, in which an absolute majority of MEPs is required, will take place if the objection is passed by the committee. If it is adopted in plenary session, the objection will halt the entire delegated act on simplifying greening arrangements.
In addition to provisions banning the use of pesticides on EFAs, this delegated act contains simplified rules on catch and nitrogen-fixing crops and updates the rules on calculating landscape features and grass strips to make them more attractive to farmers.
A source suggested on Friday 3 March that the EPP “will find it difficult to gather an absolute majority” to back an objection to the text. The Parliamentary agriculture committee will discuss this issue (and the omnibus regulation, see EUROPE 11736) at its extraordinary meeting in Strasbourg on Monday 13 March. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)