EU member state experts began the technical examination of the European Commission’s proposals on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2020 (see EUROPE 12033 and 12032) on Monday 4 June.
At the meeting of the special committee on agriculture (SCA) in Sofia on 4 June, the Commission set out the three legislative proposals for the experts. While some delegations felt that the proposals provided a good foundation for discussion, several representatives, including those of France, Portugal, Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Poland, criticised the proposed 5% cut in CAP spending and funding for rural development over the period from 2021 to 2027. Only Sweden felt that direct payments could be reduced still further.
Several countries, Latvia, Portugal and Slovakia among them, felt that the proposals did not go far enough on external convergence of direct aid.
Estonia was also of the view that the capping of aid should remain voluntary and not be mandatory as the Commission is proposing. The Czech Republic was also against the capping of aid.
For a number of delegations, the proposals lacked ambition on subsidiarity and simplifying CAP provisions. They feared a greater administrative burden for governments and increasingly complex rules for farmers.
The SCA-level debate will continue on 11 June, in preparation for the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 18 June at which the post-2020 CAP legislative package will be discussed for the first time (on the basis of a questionnaire from the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council).
At the same time, a number of working groups will examine the proposals in detail. The working group on horizontal agricultural issues will begin its examination on 15 June, going through the regulation on strategic plans article by article. The work will continue for the remainder of the Bulgarian Presidency’s term of office and into the Austrian Presidency, which begins on 1 July. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)