On Monday 15 May, the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) invited the European Commission itself to set the reduction rate (-1.4%) for 2017 direct payments from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (see EUROPE 11761).
This reduction is necessary in order to build up a reserve of €459.5 million (in current value terms) for agricultural crises in the 2018 budget year of the CAP, which begins on 16 October 2017.
As required under financial discipline legislation, the Commission proposed,...