On Monday 10 May, experts from EU Member States stressed the need to make concessions to the European Parliament on certain elements of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in order to reach a final agreement on the dossier at the end of May.
But overall, at the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on Monday, delegations leaned towards the position of the Portuguese Council Presidency and/or the position set out in the EU Council’s General Approach.
The Portuguese Presidency sounded out the SCA experts on several topics, most of them related to the future strategic plans: the green architecture (eco-regimes, good agricultural and environmental conditions or GAEC 2, 4, 8 and 9), the social dimension of the CAP, the targeting of aid (capping/degressivity/redistributive payment) and the consideration of climate and biodiversity issues.
A trilogue of negotiations between the institutions was held on Tuesday 11 May on the regulation on strategic plans (see other news).
On green architecture, most delegations acknowledged that 'crop diversification' should be treated as equivalent to crop rotation. Most countries were ready to agree to the Parliament's proposal that eco-regimes should cover at least two areas of activity, but the EU Council opposed the European Parliament's idea of a points system (the delegations that supported this system recommended that it should be voluntary).
Social dimension With respect to the social dimension, most delegations recognised the gravity of protecting the social and labour rights of agricultural workers. However, they felt that the CAP was not the appropriate area to protect these rights. Member States also mentioned the risk of excessive administrative burden if the social dimension is integrated into the CAP.
Some countries have stated that they would be in favour of social conditionality if it was not accompanied by excessive bureaucracy.
With regard to climate and biodiversity monitoring, discussions focused on whether the percentage contributions outlined in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 would be calculated at EU or Member State level. Some delegations prefer the former. Many EU countries also believed that the provisions should take the form of a recital rather than an article in the regulation on strategic plans.
Wine. Furthermore, the SCA discussed a proposal from France, Italy and Spain to introduce transitional rules for wine programmes (https://bit.ly/33Ak4QE ). The three states want “a smooth transition” between the current Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation and the future regulation on national strategic plans. This is why they propose being able to implement all the operations (support for promotion, aid for restructuring vineyards, green harvesting, mutual funds, etc.) within the framework of the current CMO before the regulation on national strategic plans comes into force. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)