Negotiators from the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission finalised, on Friday 28 May, the agreement on a set of basic rules aimed at ensuring a smooth transition between the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the next one, which will enter into force at the beginning of 2022.
The provisionally approved text is based on the partial agreement reached under the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council in June. It includes a recent compromise on the 8 billion euros under the agricultural portion of the Economic Recovery Plan (see EUROPE 12599/3).
The Council of the EU points out that the text includes a six-month extension of the exceptional aid granted to farmers and SMEs affected by Covid-19. As regards the outermost regions and POSEI aid, the negotiators agreed to maintain the current rules and amounts for 2021 and 2022.
The text extends the current CAP rules, which expire at the end of 2020, until the end of 2022, thus ensuring the continuation of payments to farmers and beneficiaries of rural development funds. The agreement includes provisions on how to use the 8 billion euros in the Recovery Plan.
“The agreement reached is a solid bridge to new rules, giving farmers and national administrations plenty of time to prepare for the post-2022 CAP reform. We now call on all Member States to be responsible and to join the agreement on the Multiannual Financial Framework so that the funds for our farmers can be released quickly”, said rapporteur on transitional rules Elsi Katainen (Renew Europe, Finland).
“Parliament is determined to actively involve farmers in the ambitious goal of climate change adaptation and mitigation”, welcomed the rapporteur on the Recovery Plan, Paolo De Castro (S&D, Italy).
The text still has to be approved on Tuesday 1 December by the Parliament Agriculture Committee, by the Council's Special Committee on Agriculture, then by the Council, and finally by the European Parliament plenary (session of 14-17 December) before it can enter into force. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)