The political group coordinators of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) decided at a meeting on Wednesday 10 June to break off ongoing negotiations with their counterparts in the Agriculture Committee (AGRI) on the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
In mid-March, the two parliamentary committees began negotiations to agree on compromise positions on certain articles of the future CAP for which they have shared competence. These articles specifically concern green architecture (environmental objectives, climate, biodiversity, cross-compliance, first pillar eco-regimes, etc.)
At their meeting on Thursday 11 June, the MEPs of the AGRI Committee were all surprised by the ENVI Committee’s decision. The rapporteur, Peter Jahr (EPP, Germany), nevertheless hopes “that finding common ground remains possible”. According to him, the discussions were moving forward: “We had established a relationship of trust”. If this decision is confirmed, the two committees will not present compromise amendments on the relevant articles at the time of the vote in plenary, which was due to take place this autumn. Amendments will therefore be presented in dispersed order by each committee.
The two parliamentary committees are also at odds on the issue of the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy. The Agriculture Committee has asked the President of the European Parliament to co-lead the debate on this issue, which is supposed to be managed by the Environment Committee. They have until 19 June to find a compromise, failing which the decision will be taken by Parliament’s Conference of Presidents.