On Thursday 16 November, members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture criticised the lack of transparency in the allocation of funds from the agricultural crisis reserve. They also criticised the lack of resources (€450 million per year) set aside for this tool, which is in great demand due to the impact of the war in Ukraine, natural disasters and certain animal diseases.
The European Commission representative summarised recent discussions with the Member States, which he said had shown that “it is very difficult to establish priorities” (on the use of the crisis reserve) “when financial resources remain limited” (see EUROPE 13271/17). Another finding is that crises in the form of natural disasters “are on such a scale that it is impossible to compensate for the related loss of income through the agricultural reserve”.
In addition, there could be an agreement between EU countries to exercise caution in the use of these funds to ensure that they are available throughout the year, the Commission explained. Finally, the Member States are demanding distribution and a distribution key that is “fair and transparent”.
Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italian) criticised Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, for favouring Poland in the allocation of funds “in the middle of an election campaign”.
Anne Sander (EPP, French) believes that the way in which this crisis reserve operates “raises questions”. She called for “objective” criteria for allocating funds and assessing amounts.
Decisions on allocation methods are made by the College of Commissioners and are subject to consultation with EU countries, the Commission said.
According to Clara Aguilera (S&D, Spanish), not all crisis management instruments are working properly. Martin Hlaváček (Renew Europe, Czech) suggested more automatic mechanisms to facilitate the allocation of funds from the crisis reserve.
For Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, German), the EU needs a more substantial crisis reserve in budgetary terms. He believes that the next Common Agricultural Policy should make more money available for the crisis reserve.
The Commission has stated that it will shortly be adopting a report on assessing climate risks that includes a section on the impact on farmers. “We will have to see how the next Multiannual Financial Framework deals with these issues”, said the institution.
The Commission shared the Commissioner for Agriculture’s opinion in favour of a third pillar of the CAP for crisis management. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)