The content of the draft EU/Mercosur Free Trade Agreement, the transitional rules on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as well as the United Kingdom's exit from the EU are at the heart of the concerns of the new members of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture: this was demonstrated by the first exchange of views on Tuesday 23 July in Brussels between the members of that committee and the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan.
In any free trade agreement, there are aspects that are more or less offensive or defensive, Commissioner Hogan argued about the draft EU-Mercosur trade agreement (see EUROPE 12297/9), which was criticised by most MEPs in the European Parliament Agriculture Committee, including political group coordinators Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italy), Paolo de Castro (S&D, Italy), Ulrike Müller (RE, Germany), Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany) and Luke Ming Flanagan (GUE/NGL, Ireland).
The Commissioner acknowledged that, in the face of criticism from other MEPs, it will be necessary to “mitigate the negative consequences of this agreement on agriculture”.
Ethanol and beef, for example, are sensitive sectors, while wine, alcohol and geographical indications are sectors where the EU has obtained significant concessions, the Commissioner said.
In his introduction, the Commissioner considered that this agreement was “balanced and ambitious, even if it represents a challenge for certain [agricultural] sectors”.
Mr Hogan reiterated that safeguard measures are provided for in the event of market disruption, but did not give details of the €1 billion envelope provided for this purpose.
post-2020 CAP. On the post-2020 CAP, Mr Hogan said he hoped that the new Agriculture Committee would take over the work of the outgoing committee, which had adopted the three reports on the post-2020 CAP. The Commissioner also indicated that the European Parliament will have to justify any increase in the CAP budget over the 2021-2027 period.
The Commission is ready, if necessary, to present transitional rules on the post-2020 CAP, said Mr Hogan, replying in particular to Paolo de Castro and Ulrike Müller.
But he felt that there was still time left, “in the autumn” 2019, to “do what was necessary” in the EU Council and Parliament, i.e. to make maximum progress on the future CAP dossier. “Financial flows to farmers will continue”, he promised, in order to refute any risk of interruption of direct payments.
On climate and the environment, “we must be more ambitious”, the Commissioner reiterated. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)