EU Agriculture Ministers generally supported efforts to achieve flexibility in reaching a final agreement with the European Parliament on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU has made suggestions to facilitate a compromise with the European Parliament on the issues still under discussion, including the green architecture of the future CAP (see EUROPE 12704/13).
A two-day EU Council on 25-26 May. The Presidency announced that a two-day Agriculture Council of the EU will be held on 25 and 26 May (a week earlier than originally planned), in parallel with a ‘super trilogue’ between EU institutions, to reach a final agreement on the CAP.
“We are starting to see the end of the road”, said Portuguese Agriculture Minister Maria do Céu Antunes. She was optimistic that a satisfactory agreement with the Parliament on the post-2020 CAP would be reached before the end of this semester. The EU Council and the Parliament need to, however, bring their positions closer together, she said.
Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, supported the Portuguese Presidency’s commitment to reach an interinstitutional agreement on CAP reform in May. “This timetable is important to ensure a timely start of the CAP reform in early 2023”, he confirmed.
Strategic plans. The Portuguese Presidency also proposed a progressive approach to the budget allocated for eco-schemes. The starting point would be 22% (share of direct aid allocated to eco-schemes) for the years 2023 and 2024. As of 2025, the percentage would rise to 25%. This figure is halfway between what was initially proposed by the EU Council (20%) and that by Parliament (30%). The compromise package retains the EU Council’s original position in favour of a two-year ‘learning phase’ during which unspent eco-scheme funds could be used for climate and environmental measures under the second pillar of the CAP (rural development).
The Commission welcomed the Portuguese Presidency’s latest suggestions on green architecture. “The proposals are a step in the right direction”, according to the Commissioner.
At the EU Council, most of the Agriculture Ministers (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, Finland, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, etc.) supported maintaining the flexibilities in the eco-schemes.
Several countries, such as France, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, have shown a willingness to increase the share of eco-schemes to 25% to help find common ground with MEPs.
But others, such as Romania, Hungary or Ireland, have asked to maintain the 20% figure (risk of loss of funds mentioned).
Spain also recalled that the 20% figure was already a significant improvement.
Capping, degressivity. The majority of ministers asked to keep the optional character of the decisions on capping and degressivity of direct aids and on redistributive payments.
Janusz Wojciechowski expressed his openness to explore the feasibility of a scenario based on the Portuguese Presidency’s proposal, which would include: - a clearer obligation for Member States to achieve the objective of a fairer distribution and better targeting of aid; - a compulsory redistributive payment with the possibility to be exempted from this obligation when a Member State can prove that it will achieve the same result by implementing other instruments.
Some countries (Estonia, Romania, Finland) have shown a willingness to accept the compromise of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council, which includes making one of the three instruments (capping, degressivity, redistributive payment) mandatory.
Ireland, on the other hand, is against the Portuguese Presidency’s idea of targeting aid, as is Denmark.
Horizontal regulation. Maria do Céu Antunes welcomed the outcome of the latest trilogue on the text with agreement in principle confirmed on the New Delivery Model which retains elements of compliance of EU spending and the common character of the CAP. There are still discussions to be held on the amounts of the agricultural crisis reserve.
Markets. The Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council presented a draft joint declaration on international trade at the last trilogue on the Common Market Organisation (CMO) text. Spain has asked to include table olives and sugar in the list of products eligible for intervention.
Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC). The suggestions of the Portuguese EU Council Presidency on GAEC have been met with mixed reviews. For example, on GAEC 8, Belgium supported the retention of the crop diversification rule and France requested that crop diversity be recognised as a practice equivalent to crop rotation.
Active farmer. Germany, in particular, has requested that the definition of this concept be optional, and not mandatory as the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council has proposed. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)