On 18 and 19 February 2019, members of the European Parliament’s committee on agriculture should be able to vote on the reports amending proposals on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020 (see EUROPE 12121). It is not certain, however, whether the plenary session will be able to take a stance by the end of the current legislature.
The Austrian presidency of the Council hopes to bring EU agriculture ministers to a common position by end December but this objective seems to be over-ambitious (see EUROPE 12103).
The coordinators of the political groups of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, who met in Strasbourg on 25 October, took the view that the committee would be able to vote on the three reports on CAP post-2020 on 18 and 19 February next year.
The presentation of the three reports (on strategic planning, common market organisation and the horizontal regulation) is due on 21 November this year (the date for tabling amendments being 3 December at the latest). This timeframe is still provisional, as the duration of the work will depend on the number of amendments tabled and the time it takes to draft compromises (see EUROPE 12123).
The group coordinators are aware of the fact that a vote after mid-February would probably not allow the plenary session to take a stance before the end of the legislature. Nonetheless, some MEPs say, the option of a vote at the agriculture committee only (without a vote in plenary under the current term of mandate) is highly likely.
The conference of presidents of the political groups of the Assembly may, at the end of November, however, impose a tighter timeframe. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)