Discussions between experts in the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on Monday 12 October on the subject of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) once again revealed differences with regard to the minimum amount in direct payments that should be allocated to eco-schemes (environmentally friendly programmes).
The issue of the CAP’s ‘green architecture’ will be the most politically sensitive topic at the Agriculture Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 19 and Tuesday 20 October. EU ministers will try to reach a ‘general approach’ on the three post-2020 CAP documents (see EUROPE 12578/8).
In the compromise text on strategic plans, the German Presidency of the Council of the EU proposed that a minimum of 20% of direct payments should be earmarked for environmental and climate measures (mandatory eco-schemes).
This 20% percentage was supported at the SCA meeting on Monday by a few delegations (including France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal). Other countries, however, including the so-called Visegrád countries (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), along with Romania, Greece and Croatia, argued in favour of making the eco-schemes voluntary rather than compulsory. One of the reasons for these differences in opinion is the different ways in which appropriations under the first pillar (direct payments) and the second pillar (rural development) are distributed between countries.
Several delegations (including France, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Spain and Finland) supported the Presidency’s intention, with regard to eco-schemes, to take into account, in a revised compromise text, the efforts countries have made with regard to climate matters in the second pillar of the CAP.
With regard to cross-compliance, a number of delegations supported the German Presidency of the Council of the EU’s proposed minimum share of arable land (5%) with respect to GAEC 9 (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition 9).
Countries’ opinions regarding monitoring and sanctions related to cross-compliance are divided on the question of whether or not small farmers should be exempted.
As previously announced (see EUROPE 12579/8), an agreement has been reached in the European Parliament by three groups (EPP, S&D and Renew Europe) to submit the plan containing provision for 30% of direct payments to be spent on environmentally friendly programmes (eco-schemes) in the plenary session next week.
The agreement between the three groups has been criticised by some of the groups that are not party to it, and by the European Environmental Bureau. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)