The European Commission published, on 11 May, a Commission Staff Working Document which suggests an adaptation of the 2014 State aid rules for agriculture, forestry and rural areas.
The evaluation concludes that, overall, the existing rules work well, are fit for purpose and meet the needs of the sectors concerned. However, some targeted adjustments may be necessary to align the current rules with current EU priorities, in particular, the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the ‘European Green Deal’.
Some problems have increased in recent years, such as “adverse climatic events, biodiversity loss, animal diseases, plant pests and forest fires”, the document states. It will be important to ensure that State aid is compatible with EU environmental and climate law, the Commission says.
The Commission will, in particular, examine the possibility to extend the scope of the Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation (measures that could be implemented directly by Member States without the need for prior notification to and approval by the Commission) with a view to further simplify the existing framework. The Commission will reflect on possible targeted changes to the rules to improve incentives for farmers and foresters to engage in activities that favour biodiversity and climate mitigation.
Next steps. The Commission will launch the impact assessment phase of the review to look into the issues identified during the evaluation, with a view to having revised rules in place by 31 December 2022, when the current rules will expire.
At the beginning of 2022, the Commission will publish a draft of the revised Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation and new Guidelines for stakeholder comments.
Link to the working document: https://bit.ly/3ftSD0x (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)