At the last Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) under the German EU Council Presidency on Monday 7 December, Member States were rather critical of the European Parliament’s position on some elements of the future strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The SCA took stock of the state of play of the trilogue discussions on the post-2020 CAP and indicated that the EU Council position (see EUROPE 12617/16) should be maintained.
The next trilogue on strategic plans for the CAP will take place on 10 December.
The delegations reiterated their scepticism regarding the “social cross-compliance” of CAP aid introduced in Parliament’s position. Most countries consider that the subject should be dealt with in separate legislation or through national measures.
Concerning the simplification of cross-compliance for farmers implementing equivalent measures under ‘eco-schemes’ (environmental programmes under the first pillar of the CAP, i.e. direct aid), the States found the idea interesting, as it would reduce the administrative burden. Most delegations also stressed the importance of the voluntary nature of this option.
Experts from EU countries were open to the possibility of establishing an indicative list of practices for eco-schemes, provided that it does not take the form of delegated acts (i.e. guidelines or a working document, depending on the Member State).
Finally, Member States expressed scepticism about a possible ‘points system’ for eco-schemes at EU level, which was considered too complex.
Negotiations on CAP reform will continue in December (10 December on the strategic plans and 18 December on the horizontal regulation), then under the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council beginning on 1 January 2021. The aim is to conclude an agreement between institutions by the end of June 2021. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)