On Tuesday 27 April, the European Parliament transmitted its working document detailing its position in favour of a ‘New Social Dimension for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)’ (see EUROPE 12705/3).
This text is approved by the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe Greens/EFA and The Left groups.
The Council of the EU will discuss the European Parliament’s position on this issue, which is one of the remaining issues of divergence between the EU institutions on CAP reform. Social conditionality will be discussed between the institutions at the end of May, at the very end of the CAP negotiations, the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council said.
“The Parliament proposes an approach to cover employment issues, under which an administrative penalty shall be imposed on beneficiaries who do not comply with the applicable working and employment conditions resulting from collective agreement, national and Union law, relating to different aspects of working conditions (occupational health and safety, equal treatment and declared employment)” explains the Parliament’s working document obtained by EUROPE. In this text, the Parliament criticises the options presented by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council on the social dimension of the CAP.
Without creating an additional administrative burden, Member States shall simply “ensure compliance with the rules on social conditionality through checks performed by their existing control systems”, the European Parliament also argues.
CAP beneficiaries found to be in breach of employment standards or social requirements would be “penalised so that EU funds do not support illegal and exploitative practices”, according to the working document.
Link to the Parliament’s working document on the social dimension of the CAP: https://bit.ly/2RYDGvi (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)