On Monday 18 November in Brussels, EU agriculture ministers were divided on the duration of the transitional measures between the current and the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The European Commission has recently presented proposals establishing transitional provisions on the CAP, the aim being to extend the applicability of the existing legal framework and to adapt certain rules in order to ensure the continuity of the CAP until the new system is put in place (see EUROPE 12363/6).
EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan said the amounts of direct and rural development aid provided for in the transitional rules would be adjusted in line with the agreement on the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2021-2027.
Over the duration of the transitional measures, about half of the ministers (France, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Portugal) requested 1 year, as proposed by the Commission, while the other half (including Germany, Poland, Greece, Slovenia, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovakia) preferred 2 years.
Poland and other countries, such as the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, have asked to be able to continue paying special national aid to their farmers after 2020. However, the Commission’s proposal does not provide for the continuation of these national aids after 2020. Slovakia also considered that external convergence of aid should also apply during the transitional period. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)