The Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU plans to conduct an appraisal in December of the ministerial debates on the legislative proposals on the common agricultural policy after 2020.
As the main priority, legislative proposals on the new CAP are included in the agenda of each of the monthly meetings of EU agriculture ministers to be held under the Austrian Presidency of the Council. The September meeting could, according to the provisional timetable, be cancelled, with ministers gathering in the Schloss Hof, Lower Austria, from 23 to 25 September for their traditional six-monthly informal meeting.
On 16 July, ministers will discuss the proposals for the post-2020 CAP, in particular simplification and subsidiarity. It is expected that the European agriculture commissioner will provide detail on these issues.
Ministers will focus more closely on direct payments and rural development in Luxembourg on 15 October and then, on 19 November, they will discuss the proposals on the horizontal regulation and the common organisation of the market.
Lastly, on 17 December, they will take stock of their discussions that will have been prepared throughout the six-month period the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) and the Council working groups.
Food chain, G20, trade. According to the provisional timetable, on 15 October, the Agriculture Council will discuss the bio-economy and the G20 (agriculture) meeting.
On 19 November, it will take stock of international trade issues and the situation on agricultural markets. On 17 December, ministers will try to come to agreement at first reading on the draft directives on unfair trading practices with n the food supply chain (see EUROPE 12056) and on the definition, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks and the protection of geographical indications for spirit drinks. In December, ministers will also discuss the protein plan that the Commission is due to bring forward. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)