EU Agriculture Ministers will meet on Monday 15 July in Brussels to discuss once again some elements of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Above all, they will have the opportunity to react to the European Commission's presentation of the compromise reached between the parties on the free trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries.
The EU/Mercosur trade agreement is only a 'miscellaneous' issue, but it should generate a lot of comments from EU agriculture ministers.
During discussions between Member States' experts on 8 July, several delegations criticised certain aspects of the agreement (see EUROPE 12292/12), in particular the effects of the opening of markets on sensitive sectors (meat, sugar, ethanol, etc.). The Commission will also be asked about the details of the €1 billion in aid announced by the Commission for EU farmers, who would be most affected by the effects of this trade agreement.
The Council will be informed of the priorities and work programme of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the field of agriculture and fisheries (see EUROPE 12287/5). It hopes to make progress in the post-2020 CAP negotiations, depending on the progress of the negotiations on the EU's multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2027. Indeed, the European Ministers of Agriculture want to have visibility on the CAP envelope after 2020, before taking a position on the proposals on the future CAP.
CAP after 2020. Ministers will exchange views on the environmental and climate aspects of the post-2020 CAP package. Many delegations agree to increase the environmental and climate ambition of the CAP, provided that the CAP benefits from the corresponding budget, that the conditions of competition between Member States are fair, that Member States have sufficient flexibility to adapt the rules to their specific situation and that these rules remain as simple as possible (see EUROPE 12291/13).
Sugar. The Commission will present the report of the High Level Group on Sugar, a group set up by the Commission to assess the sector after the end of production quotas (see EUROPE 12276/19). The report shows that during the first year after the end of the quotas, sugar production increased by 25%, which led to a significant drop in sugar prices at the European (and world) level(s). The High Level Group considers that the usual market measures have not been able to address this specific market situation. In this context, it asks the Commission to examine in more detail the possibilities of other market measures, in particular those provided for in Article 222 of the Regulation on the common organisation of the market.
Members of the group have divergent opinions on the use of emergency authorisations for neonicotinoids. Member States that have granted such authorisations justify them on the grounds of the absence of appropriate alternatives, while others consider this practice unacceptable because it may have a distorting effect on the EU sugar market.
Several “other items”. Ministers will receive information on various issues, including: - the evolution of African swine fever cases in the EU (Commission information); - animal welfare during transport; - plant protection products and pest management; - the outcome of the third EU-AU (African Union) ministerial conference on agriculture (see EUROPE 12281/22); - the BIOEAST (Central-Eastern European Initiative for Knowledge-based Agriculture, Aquaculture and Forestry in the Bioeconomy) initiative; - the difficult situation in the rice sector due to massive imports of Japonica rice (see EUROPE 12290/9).
To consult the report of the High Level Group on Sugar: https://bit.ly/2Sb1XKU
To read the Italian note on Japonica rice: https://bit.ly/2NO1RKE (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)