The national experts, meeting on Monday 4 February in the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA), called for flexibility on the 'direct payments' aspect of the proposals on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (see EUROPE 12181).
During the discussions, many delegations reiterated their call for flexibility in applying the rules.
Concerning the definition of 'real farmers', Member States want a voluntary application of this scheme or more flexibility.
The same position on the ceiling and degressivity of aid: a majority in the Council wants a voluntary system under which Member States could freely decide on thresholds and percentage reductions. Some would like young farmers, payments for eco-devices and coupled support to be exempted from these schemes.
On the redistributive payment (premium for the first hectares of farms), many people want a voluntary application or, failing that, greater flexibility.
The European Parliament's rapporteur proposes a degressivity of aid from a threshold of €150,000 above which support would be reduced by 25%, unless the Member State devotes 5% of its national envelope to redistributive payments.
Finally, Member State experts welcomed the suggestion of the Romanian Presidency of the Council to remove from the requirements on aid conditionality the new 'farm sustainability tool for nutrients', as requested by the Commission. But they now oppose the inclusion of this tool in agricultural advisory services.
The Romanian Presidency hopes to be able to present compromise texts on the future CAP by the time the Agriculture Council meets on 18 March. In June, the Council aims for a partial general approach to the proposals.
Unclear timetable at the Parliament. The European Parliament, for its part, is still hesitant to adopt its position on the future of the CAP in plenary before the May elections (see EUROPE 12182). A theoretical date for voting in the Parliament Agriculture Committee on the draft reports has been set for 6 March. The vote could be postponed until the end of March or even the beginning of April. The vote in plenary would take place in the future Assembly. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)