The European Commission is not planning to withdraw its proposal on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), but will remain vigilant in the negotiations to ensure that the targets in the European Green Deal are preserved, European sources said on Tuesday 17 November.
The Commission sought to provide clarification following statements made by Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the Commission responsible for the European Green Deal, who threatened to withdraw the CAP proposal if the negotiations looked likely to weaken the policy’s environmental objectives (see EUROPE 12602/7).
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Commission, replied to EPP group members on the European Parliament Agriculture Committee on Tuesday to inform them that she had no intention of withdrawing the proposal (https://bit.ly/35BuotG ).
A number of matters relating to the CAP that currently form part of discussions between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament are causing the Commission concern.
“The CAP has to match the level of ambition in the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy”, an EU source said.
The source stated that the remits of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament do not always match the targets in the May 2018 proposals.
Eco-schemes. The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have introduced some flexibility into implementation of the minimum level of expenditure for eco-schemes. A paper published on Tuesday 17 November states: “Whilst some elements of flexibility can prove useful, other proposed aspects risk undermining effective expenditure on environment and climate under these schemes, because they would allow resources for environment and climate to be re-allocated to other payments under the first pillar, resulting in a lower impact on climate and environment” (https://bit.ly/3nAAG2C ). Vigilance is required to ensure that the eco-schemes receive sufficient budgetary allocations, a European source said.
Conditionality. The Commission supports the ambition of dedicating 10% of agricultural land to high-diversity landscape features (to protect wetlands and peatlands). It calls for farm-level biodiversity standards to be applied to non-productive elements as well.
The remits of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reduce the scope of application of these standards. Consequently, the European Parliament is proposing that this basic requirement should only apply to arable land. This would mean that only 66% of agricultural land and 89% of farmers receiving direct support would be covered.
The Council of the EU is proposing that this conditionality requirement should only apply to arable land and should exempt small farms (less than 10 ha of arable land). This would mean that only 54% of agricultural land and 20% of farmers receiving direct support would be covered. Counting productive areas weakens the beneficial effect on biodiversity.
Finally, the Commission will ensure that, in the final agreement, which is expected sometime in spring 2021, at least 40% of the agriculture and rural development budget contributes to climate targets. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)