EU agriculture ministers will meet on Monday 26 April via video conference to discuss proposals for reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), including the future ‘green architecture’ (see EUROPE 12702/5).
The objective of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council is to ensure a flexible mandate so that significant progress can be made in the negotiations with the European Parliament on 30 April regarding strategic plans for the CAP.
Green architecture. The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council presented compromise suggestions on the green architecture to the delegations of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) held on Monday 19 April. Regarding the percentage of direct aid to be reserved for eco-regimes, a decision was taken to submit the question to the Agriculture Ministers on Monday 26 April.
The Portuguese Presidency also proposed a progressive approach to the budget allocated for eco-regimes.
The starting point would be 22% (share of direct aid allocated to eco-regimes) for the years 2023 and 2024. As of 2025, the percentage would rise to 25%. This figure is halfway between initially proposed by the EU Council (20%) and that of Parliament (30%).
The compromise package would also retain the EU Council’s original position in favour of a two-year ‘learning phase’. During this time, unspent eco-regime funds could be used for climate and environmental measures under the second pillar of the CAP (rural development).
The Portuguese Presidency hopes to obtain further guidance from the EU Council over the strategic direction to take in order to move closer to the position to be adopted by the European Parliament in the negotiations (trilogue) on 30 April.
“We are waiting to receive a document from the European Parliament regarding social conditions of the CAP” said a diplomatic source on Thursday 22 April.
Market situation. The European Commission will inform Ministers about the state of agricultural markets in the context of current and future challenges, including those related to trade.
Trade. The Council will exchange views on trade and agriculture natters. The ministers will also discuss how trade agreements and trade relations can be used to promote the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the principles of the Paris Agreement and the European model of sustainable production.
Ministers will also be able to discuss the results of the updated study by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) on the cumulative economic impact of ongoing and future trade agreements on EU agriculture.
Animal welfare. The European Commission will present the outcome of the evaluation of the previous EU strategy on animal welfare, which covered the period 2012–2015 (https://bit.ly/3sEQF1N ).
Food labelling. The German delegation will inform Ministers about the labelling of foodstuffs which contain eggs (https://bit.ly/2Qfy1AL ).
Germany will provide its opinion on the possibility of introducing labelling regarding the farming method used for raising laying hens, which would also apply when eggs are used as ingredients in processed food. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)