According to an opinion adopted by the European Parliament Agriculture Committee on Tuesday 7 July (by 37 votes in favour to eight against, with three abstentions), a modernised and sustainable Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will make a decisive contribution to the EU's ambitious climate targets, but achieving these goals will depend to a large extent on adequate funding.
The committee welcomed the revised Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the proposals on the EU recovery plan as “a step towards Parliament’s position to maintain the EU farm policy funding at its current level”.
MEPs nevertheless emphasised the fact that any additional measures relating to the green transition, including achieving the objectives of the Farm to Fork and biodiversity strategies, must be funded with new money and must not come at the expense of existing CAP funding.
They stressed that there should always be financial compensation for increased environmental requirements, because farmers cannot be asked to do more with less money. They highlighted the fact that agriculture in the EU is the only major system in the world that has cut its greenhouse gas emissions (by 20% since 1990).
The adopted text states that efforts made by EU farmers to produce food more sustainably must not be undermined by the import of products from non-Member States that do not meet the EU’s food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare and social standards.
The opinion is addressed to the European Parliament Committees on Budgets and Economic and Monetary Affairs, which will adopt a report on the ‘Sustainable Europe Investment Plan: Financing the Green Deal’ in September. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)