Portugal, which took over the Presidency of the EU Council for six months on 1 January 2021, hopes to bring the co-legislators to a final agreement in June on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Negotiations on the CAP were launched in mid-November under the German EU Council Presidency (see EUROPE 12626/5).
Ministers are expected to take stock of European Parliament/EU Council negotiations on this dossier at their meetings on 25 January, 22-23 March, 26-27 April, 31 May and 28-29 June, according to the provisional timetable for the EU Council’s work during this six-month period.
Portugal will also monitor the implementation of initiatives stemming from the European Green Deal in the areas of food safety, animal health and welfare, and plant health.
The ministers will discuss the situation concerning EU agricultural markets and free trade agreements.
Portugal pledges to prioritise the EU’s future relations with the United Kingdom, and also to speed up the final stages of the ratification process of the EU/Mercosur agreement. Trade negotiations with New Zealand and Australia are also expected to shift into a higher gear.
Another focus of the Portuguese Presidency is the search for better resource management, particularly for soil and water. This will be the main theme of the informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers which, health conditions permitting, is scheduled to take place in Lisbon on 14 and 15 June.
The Agriculture Council will discuss the forthcoming Commission communication on the long-term vision for rural areas.
The EU Council is also expected to discuss: (on 31 May) the study on the legal status of new genomic techniques; (on 26-27 April) the new EU forestry strategy and the EU animal welfare strategy (2012-2015).
Link to the agenda of the various EU Council sessions: https://bit.ly/3ngWpfr (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)