European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan said, Thursday 25 April, in Brussels that he was “very confident” that the EU institutions would be able to reach "between now and the end of 2019" a political agreement on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposals.
However, the EU Council of Ministers is divided on several issues, especially those relating to the proposal on strategic plans for the CAP (see EUROPE 12236/1). Despite these divisions, Commissioner Phil Hogan continues to be optimistic.
Mr Hogan said he hoped that the EU Council would reach a full general approach in July on the future CAP, thus under the Finnish Presidency. He added that ministers could reach a partial general approach by the end of June on the two proposals that pose the least problems: the regulation on the Single Common Market Organisation and the Horizontal regulation. The third issue, the one on strategic plans, is the biggest piece.
After the last EU ‘Agriculture’ Council on 15 April, Mr Hogan noted the progress made: “Everyone agrees on the principles of this green architecture with strengthened conditionality and eco-programmes that we simply do not know whether they will be mandatory or optional”.
The Romanian Presidency of the EU Council assures that it keeps the objective of achieving a partial general approach of the EU Council by the end of June. Minister Petre Daea estimated on 15 April that two of the three strands of the Commission's proposals have already been virtually settled (the regulation on the Single Common Market Organisation and the Horizontal regulation). The issue of strategic plans is more controversial. And there are only three meetings left for the Agriculture Ministers - on 14 May in Brussels, 3 and 4 June in Bucharest and 18 June in Luxembourg - to conclude.
“Significant" mandate of MEPs. Mr Hogan welcomed the work done by the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, which adopted its position on the three dossiers, even if the vote in plenary could not take place. This work constitutes “a significant mandate” to find a final compromise on the post-2020 CAP. He finally noted that it took only nine months to get the position of the MEPs, compared to two years to get to this stage during the previous reform in 2013. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)