The agriculture ministers of the EU countries requested, on Monday 27 January in Brussels, that the negotiations on transitional measures for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) should move forward quickly to ensure the continuity of aid to farmers (see EUROPE 12407/16).
The EU Council requested the extension of the current measures, without adding new ones.
Some agriculture ministers (Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Finland, Cyprus and Bulgaria) asked that the text should allow transitional national aid to continue in 2021 at least at the level of 2020 (50%).
The objective of the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council is to reach a partial general approach or a general approach in the event of an agreement on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027 at the Agriculture Council of the EU in March 2020 and to start negotiations with the European Parliament as soon as possible thereafter. The European Commission hopes that a consensus in trilogue with the European Parliament will be reached “by the summer”. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, made it clear that new elements should not be introduced into this regulation on transitional measures.
Duration of transitional measures. Germany - like Denmark, Belgium, Ireland, Hungary and the Czech Republic - has asked for a one-year extension of the transitional period provided for in the proposal (two years for certain provisions). Greece, too, prefers a two-year term. Estonia defended a period of one year instead, as did Latvia and Austria.
Spain has requested a “partial” extension of the rural development programmes.
The overall objective of the proposal is to ensure the continuity of CAP support to farmers and other beneficiaries in 2021, given that the current state of negotiations on the CAP reform and the MFF makes it clear that the new strategic plans cannot be applied from 1 January 2021. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)