The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU aims to lead European ministers to a partial general approach on the three proposals concerning the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), sources said on Thursday 16 May.
On Wednesday 15 May, the Romanian Presidency met with the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, to discuss the various stages of the timetable leading to this agreement at the Agriculture Council on 18 June.
The Commission is committed to providing all possible assistance to achieve this objective, which seems very ambitious, given that several countries do not wish to finalise the discussions without knowing the outcome of the negotiations on the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2027 (see EUROPE 12254/1). The desired general approach would be partial, precisely because of the debates that will have to be held on the amount of the envelope devoted to the CAP after 2020.
"I hope we will achieve this goal", said Petre Daea, Romanian Minister of Agriculture, after the Agriculture Council on 14 May. According to him, obtaining this general approach on the three texts (strategic plans, common market organisation and horizontal regulation) is an “imperative, because farmers' expectations must be met”. Mr Hogan considers it possible to achieve this objective, in order to launch the trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament next autumn (see EUROPE 12243/7). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)