As promised (see EUROPE 12460/8), the European Commission published, on Tuesday 7 April, the regulation extending by one month the deadline for submitting applications for payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Farmers and other CAP beneficiaries will now have more time (until 15 June 2020 instead of 15 May) to complete their applications to receive both direct payments and rural development support. This extension will be possible for all eligible farmers in all Member States. However, it is up to the Member States to decide whether they wish to use this extension.
The Regulation specifies that, by way of derogation, the deadlines set by the Member States for the submission of aid applications may not be later than 15 June for the year 2020. However, for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Sweden, these dates shall not be later than 15 July.
Every year, European farmers apply for income support under the CAP. The national authorities then process the applications and carry out the necessary checks. CAP payments are then distributed at the national or regional level and are reimbursed by the European Commission through the EU budget. Link to the text: https://bit.ly/2V6LYiE (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)