At a meeting of the Copa-Cogeca Praesidia in Brussels on Thursday 15 June, European Budget Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said he would seek to save the common agricultural policy (CAP) budget when he attends debates on the next EU financial framework. He said, however, that he could not give any guarantees.
At a meeting with the presidents of the EU farming and agri-cooperative organisations (Copa and Cogeca), Oettinger stated he would endeavour to maintain the CAP budget but stressed he could give “no promises”. He reportedly explained that the EU budget was going to be under pressure. The multiannual financial framework (MFF) will have to face up to several challenges: - overcoming the effects of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the annual loss for the EU budget that this would entail being estimated at between €10-13 billion, according to the commissioner; - the fact that the United Kingdom is expected to pay what was pledged after 2019 for programmes already planned; - and the need to raise new challenges such as border protection, counter-terrorism and managing migratory flows.
Commissioner Oettinger said he did not want the agriculture sector to become a “problem” or a “victim” of budgetary issues. He argued in favour of a common agricultural policy and not a series of national markets. In his view, questions must be asked such as: should we keep the two pillars of CAP (the first comprising market spending and direct aid, and the second comprising rural development programmes)?
More generally, Oettinger expressed concern about discussions on the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. He said damage to the EU and the economy of the UK must be limited. During a press briefing, on Friday 16 June, COPA President Martin Merrild underlined his intention to fight to maintain the current level of the CAP budget after 2020. He said aid greening was to be one of the subjects raised in talks on CAP post-2020.
The commissioner confirmed that the communication on CAP modernisation and simplification should be adopted by the end of 2017.
Proposals on the next MFF postponed till autumn 2018. The commissioner said that, mainly because of Brexit, the Commission’s proposals on the post-2020 MFF (lasting five or seven years) would not be expected before autumn 2018. On Wednesday 21 June, the European Commission will in its college of commissioners discuss a policy paper on post-2020 MFF, a document that is due to be formally adopted by the Commission on 28 June. That document is expected to identify the main challenges to be raised in the future (Brexit, migration, etc.). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)