A majority of EU Member States are in favour of a two-year transitional period for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This is what emerged from the discussions on Monday 24 February in the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on the proposal on transitional measures for the CAP.
The Commission proposal provides for a transition period of one year (end 2021). However, a significant number of Member States consider that a one-year transitional period is insufficient to prepare the 'CAP strategic plans' and to put in place the administrative structures necessary for the proper implementation of the new CAP legal framework.
The question of the length of the transitional period is an issue which, according to the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council, should be addressed at a later stage, once the EU has made progress on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the post-2020 CAP. The Croatian Presidency suggests, at this stage, maintaining a transitional period of one year.
At Monday's SCA, the proposal (one year) was supported by a few delegations (including Portugal, Finland and Spain), while a majority of countries supported a two-year duration.
The Croatian Presidency hopes to bring the EU Council to a 'partial general approach' on this dossier on 23 March in order to start negotiations with the European Parliament as soon as possible (see EUROPE 12421/3).
Plenary vote in June. "For me, the most important thing is to get CAP support maintained at the current level", said European Parliament rapporteur Elsi Katainen (Renew Europe, Finland), on 18 February. She stressed that the transitional provisions would come into force "in less than 45 weeks" and should be approved by the co-legislators before the end of June.
It is "necessary to prepare the ground for a two-year transition", she said. The report will be put to a vote in the Committee on Agriculture on 27 or 28 April and in plenary in mid-June. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)