On Wednesday 21 November in Brussels, members of the European Parliament Agriculture Committee were divided on proposals for the future strategic plans for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The European Parliament's Agriculture Committee debated draft reports on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the first time. They will be voted on by this committee on 19 February.
Strategic plans. Mrs Esther Herranz García (EPP, Spain) wanted to take a three-pronged approach (see EUROPE 12126): - an adequate and appropriate budget for the CAP; - postponement of the implementation date for the new CAP to 2023, to avoid delays in payments to farmers; - the 'common' elements of the CAP should be strengthened in strategic plans. She also suggested putting an end to food waste. She expects difficult debates around definitions (real farmers, permanent pastures, young farmers). It was suggested that the common elements of the CAP be strengthened with a minimum of 70% of direct payments allocated to basic income support. With regard to the cap on direct aid, Mrs Herranz García introduced flexibility into the scheme. Member States could decide their own threshold, which should not be less than €100,000 after wages, environmental programmes (‘eco-schemes’) and payments for young farmers have been deducted. She was supported by Michel Dantin (EPP, France).
Maria Noichl (S&D, Germany) criticised Mrs García's ideas on capping aid and environmental services (all this should be mandatory, she said) and on granting 70% of direct payments on the basis of land areas.
Jan Huitema (ALDE, Netherlands) defended measures to improve the competitiveness of companies. He wants payment based on actions taken, not hectares.
Luke Ming Flanagan (GUE/NGL, Ireland) called for better redistribution of aid and more ambitious environmental programmes.
Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany) was "disappointed" by the draft report, which does not address the challenges. He criticised the focus on area-based aid, the voluntary nature of climate and environmental targets, and the proposed flexibility on capping aid. “We need binding targets”, he said.
Funding, management and monitoring of the CAP. The rapporteur, Mrs Ulrike Müller (ALDE, Germany), asked that the system take into account the federal structure of some EU countries (see EUROPE 12131). With regard to the crisis reserve, she advocates a crisis mechanism that is adequately funded (€400 million per year), independent, and carefully targeted so that it limits interventions solely to crises (no market interventions). With regard to sanctions, Mrs Müller feels that Member States should be able to exempt beneficiaries from administrative sanctions when the amount of aid received in a year is less than or equal to €1,250 and the area eligible is smaller than 10 hectares.
Markets. The rapporteur on the common organisation of the market (CMO), Éric Andrieu (S&D, France), advocated an effective framework for preventing and managing agricultural crises (see EUROPE 12127). He wants to hold the Commission accountable by establishing a performance framework "to force it to act in the event of market disruption”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)