The Agriculture Ministers of the EU countries will discuss the proposals for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in a public session via videoconference on Monday 29 June. The Ministers hope to reach a common position on this complex dossier in the second half of 2020 under the German EU Council Presidency.
Due to the constraints arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and the absence of an agreement for the time being on the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, negotiations between Member States on the future CAP have not made much progress during the first six months of the year under the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council.
In a document (https://bit.ly/2BEAwET ) presented to the national experts of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on 22 June, the Croatian Presidency states that many working group meetings were cancelled and that many of the negotiations originally planned finally took place in the form of written contributions.
During the first six months of the year, the Croatian Presidency focused on non-budgetary aspects. On the ‘horizontal’ regulation (administrative management and financing) and the amendments to the regulation on the single common market organisation (CMO), discussions focused on the integrated administration and control system. Among the few changes introduced is the possibility for Member States to define the size of holdings exempted from controls. But, the Presidency paper points out, further discussions are still needed on the additional funding (15 billion euros) granted to the rural development programme under the post-Covid-19 recovery fund and on the effects of the ‘farm to fork’ and ‘biodiversity’ strategies.
With regard to strategic plans, the Croatian Presidency has in particular extended discussions on the idea of a single percentage devoted to environmental interventions (first pillar eco-schemes, agri-environmental measures). But Member States remain very divided on this issue.
Fishing and dolphins. With regard to fisheries (see EUROPE 12514/10), the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council will inform Ministers on the progress of the negotiations on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and on the Control Regulation (https://bit.ly/2NuxCFg ).
The Commission will present its Communication on fishing opportunities for 2021 (see EUROPE 12507/20).
The Commission will provide Ministers with information on the subject of by-catches of dolphins, porpoises and other protected species (https://bit.ly/2Vl3MYk ).
The Commission organised on Friday 26 June a ‘virtual’ ‘round table’ of experts representing Member States, NGOs, industry, scientific and international organisations and the European Parliament to discuss options for effectively tackling the problem of by-catches of dolphins and cetaceans (see EUROPE 12494/14). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)