On 27 May, the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council will present compromise texts to EU Member States' experts on the three components of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (see EUROPE 12256/15).
The objective therefore remains for the Romanian Presidency to bring the EU ‘Agriculture’ Council of 18 June to a partial general approach on the three texts (strategic plans, common market organisation, horizontal regulation).
At its meeting on Monday 20 May, the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) discussed the subject of sectoral interventions in the proposed regulation on CAP strategic plans.
‘The other sectors’. The extension of the scope was generally supported by delegations to varying degrees. Some delegations called for a 'limited' extension, while some asked to extend the scope to all unprocessed products.
Mandatory or optional sectoral interventions. Delegations supported the proposal made under the Austrian Presidency to provide for a mandatory application of sectoral interventions in the fruit and vegetable sector for Member States with recognised producer organisations (POs) (optional application for countries without recognised POs).
Environmental objectives. Although the Commission has advocated a greater environmental ambition for the future CAP, a majority of SCA delegations prefer that the minimum percentage of expenditure for environment and climate under the operational programmes for fruit and vegetables remains at 10% (or increases to 15%, according to some delegations). Only a few delegations supported the Commission's proposal to provide for a minimum of 20% of expenditure on climate-friendly measures. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)