The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, announced on Wednesday 25 March, after the ministerial videoconference on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12454/5), that he would do “everything in my power to support farmers, their incomes and their ability to maintain our food security”.
The Commission intends to respond to requests from Member States in several areas: - extension of the deadline for applying for aid under the Common Agricultural Policy (direct payments). The Commission has already authorised Italy to extend the deadline for farmers to submit payment applications from 15 May to 15 June. It is expected to propose to extend this measure to all Member States, but some countries are asking to go beyond the 15 June date in order to give more flexibility to operators; - increase in advances for direct payments and appropriations for rural development programmes. The Commission is working on the subject; - Commissioner Wojciechowski's services are assessing the requests of certain ministers of agriculture regarding derogations for on-the-spot checks.
Market measures. In the event of serious market disturbance, market support measures exist, such as public intervention, private storage aid, withdrawals, as well as exceptional market measures under the CAP. “I will not hide from you that if such measures prove necessary, they will have budgetary implications”, the Commissioner told EU agriculture ministers. This has to be looked at and assessed “when necessary,” said Janusz Wojciechowski.
Working document of the Croatian Presidency. As part of the preparations for the videoconference of EU Agriculture Ministers, the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council has drafted a working document with suggestions for changes in several areas (state aid, flexibility and derogations from CAP rules, direct payments, rural development, common market organisation).
Marija Vučković, the Croatian Minister of Agriculture, recalled the measures already taken by the Commission and considered that “additional specific and targeted measures are needed to support the EU agriculture and fisheries sector”.
In particular, Member States proposed additional measures as a possible response to the coronavirus crisis in agriculture and fisheries, quotes the Croatian Presidency in a statement issued Wednesday evening after the meeting. These are: - the simplification of, or derogations from, certain procedures, for example as regards on-the-spot checks; - the modification of rural development programmes; - greater flexibility in the implementation of CAP measures and in the transfer of funds between measures and programmes; - advances on payments; - activation of the intervention and crisis measures provided for in the Regulation on a common organisation of the markets.
Link to measures already taken by the Commission: https://bit.ly/2JdeNVc (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)