In plenary in Strasbourg on Wednesday 14 June, the European Parliament gave formal assent to its representatives to enter into negotiations with the Council and Commission on the “omnibus” regulation of simplifications to the multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020 (see EUROPE 11798).
No call for a vote by at least a tenth of MEPs was lodged by the deadline of midnight on 13 June so Parliament has officially decided to open inter-institutional negotiations on the omnibus regulation.
The first trialogue meeting is scheduled for 5 July. The MEPs’ negotiating mandate includes the many amendments lodged tabled by the Parliament’s agriculture committee, that amount to serious changes to the legislation underlying the common agricultural policy (CAP). One of the agriculture committee’s rapporteurs, Paolo De Castro (S&D, Italy), went to Luxembourg on 12 June to argue the agriculture committee’s case with EU farm ministers.
EU farm experts reached agreement in April on the omnibus regulation and, on 22 May (in Malta) and 6 June, they debated Parliament’s amendments, which go much further than the Council’s line (see EUROPE 11792). The European Commission wants the new rules to come into force at the start of 2018. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)