EU agriculture ministers will meet in person on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 March in Brussels to try to find some compromise elements to meet the European Parliament’s demands on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020.
The aim of this two-day Council is to prepare for the ‘super trilogue’ on 26 March, which is intended to advance the negotiations on the future CAP.
Negotiations are therefore entering a decisive week in order to achieve the goal of finalising an agreement “by the end of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council”, a European diplomat repeated on Friday 19 March.
Two compromise packages. On Tuesday 23 March, the EU Agriculture Ministers will discuss the room for manoeuvre they are prepared to grant to the Portuguese Presidency for talks with the European Parliament negotiating team. The Portuguese Presidency of the Council has put two mini-compromise packages on the table, one on direct payments and the other on the ‘new implementation model’.
The first one proposes a compulsory definition of active farmer, a definition of new farmers, an internal convergence of aids to reach 85% in 2026 (75% in the initial position of the EU Council and 100% for the Parliament) and a share of 3% of direct payments reserved for young farmers (the EU Council wants to limit itself to 2% while the Parliament is championing 4%).
The second sets out a list of outcome indicators to be used for the performance review to be conducted on a biennial basis. However, the European Parliament is still asking for efforts on capping, degressivity, social conditionality and redistributive payments. These are points which the Member States are currently adamant about.
The ministers will discuss various topics (active farmer, capping, degressivity, redistributive payments, internal convergence, small farmers, young farmers, new farmer, new implementation model), including the sensitive issue of ‘social conditionality’ in the CAP.
Concerning the regulation on the common market organisation (CMO), there are still major differences between the institutions, particularly concerning crisis management tools.
On the new implementation model, 14 countries will present a note to allow more flexibility to Member States in the implementation of the CAP (see EUROPE 12681/10). At a Franco-Spanish summit on 15 March, Agriculture Ministers Julien Denormandie and Luis Planas confirmed their commitment to redouble their efforts to ensure that the new implementation model represents a real simplification for both administrations and beneficiaries, notably through the recognition of a right to error for the latter.
Fourteen countries will request additional aid for the wine sector (see EUROPE 12680/9).
The EU27 ministers will also discuss the recommendations made by the European Commission for their future strategic plans for the CAP on 22 March. The Ministers will in particular discuss whether the recommendations are legally binding and how the Commission will evaluate them.
Biocontrol, pests and forests. Also on Monday 22 March, the ministers will have two exchanges of views on the promotion of the use of biological control agents as an alternative to chemical plant protection products and on measures to control plant pests in the context of the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy (see EUROPE 12675/23). This strategy includes a reduction in the use of pesticides.
Finally, Austria (supported by several countries) will present a note for the preparation of the EU Forest Strategy post 2020 (see EUROPE 12681/11). These countries consider it inappropriate to focus exclusively on increasing carbon sequestration and on the biodiversity conservation and restoration aspects in the short term. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)