The Finnish Presidency of the EU Council proposes to amend the proposals on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in order to ensure that Member States allocate a certain percentage of their total budget (direct aid and rural development) to climate objectives.
These provisions would thus replace the European Commission's proposal to allocate 30% of funds from the second pillar (rural development) to climate objectives, according to a Finnish Presidency document discussed on Tuesday 5 November by the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA).
As the CAP Strategic Plan forms a “coherent whole, covering interventions under both Pillars”, the Finnish Presidency suggests the introduction of one ‘common percentage’ devoted to climate objectives, covering the whole CAP Strategic Plan, equally applicable to all Member States.
Alternatively, it would be possible to provide 'a fixed amount' of funding per Member State within the framework of the CAP Strategic Plan. “In other terms, there would be one common percentage or fixed amount of funding covering both pillars and the Member State in question could choose one or more intervention(s) under Pillar I or Pillar II or both, which would contribute to reaching this percentage or amount”, the Finnish document explains.
This would mean that Member States could choose those interventions that fit best to them in the light of their local conditions, without having to choose between the first or second pillar. The objective is to ensure “more flexibility” in the drafting the CAP Strategic Plan.
The Commission plans: - in the recitals, a general objective of 40% of climate-related expenditure under the CAP; - 30% of rural development credits for climate objectives; - for Pillar I interventions, a minimum share (20%) (for climate) of the operational funds of the producer organisations in the fruit and vegetable sector. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)