On Friday 22 March, the heads of state or government of European Union Member States generally welcomed the measures proposed by the European Commission to appease the anger of EU farmers.
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, thanked the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for having “acted swiftly to respond to the requests we made back in February, which have been met with very concrete responses”.
The proposals make it possible to reduce the administrative burden associated with controls and to offer farmers greater flexibility, said the French President (see EUROPE 13374/12). France’s demands on grassland and set-aside, for example, are included in the Commission’s response.
Mr Macron acknowledged the need to support farmers in their transition to a form of agriculture that meets the challenges of climate change and biodiversity, while guaranteeing “our agricultural and food sovereignty”.
The European Council called for progress in four areas: - adoption of short- and medium-term measures to reduce the administrative burden and simplify the CAP; - strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain to ensure they receive a fair income. “This is what I would call a European Egalim”, said Mr Macron; - ensuring rules-based and fair competition in international agreements and in the internal market; - easing farmers’ financial strain by designing means of additional support.
Giorgia Meloni, the President of the Italian Council of Ministers, pointed out that the conclusions “refer to concrete measures that the Commission is already implementing, especially in terms of simplifying the CAP and supporting sectors against unfair competition". The important thing for Italy was the reference to “the extension of State aid in the agricultural sector”. “This has been done. This is a very important step forward”, she stressed. At the Special European Council on 17 and 18 April, Commission are expected to report on other support measures for farmers, said Ms Meloni.
Petr Fiala, the Czech Prime Minister, welcomed the Commission’s rapid response. The procedures will offer greater flexibility in meeting environmental requirements, and the Commission has presented a legislative proposal that will further reduce red tape, he said.
Mrs von der Leyen outlined the proposed measures, urging EU countries to adopt them quickly. In the medium and long term, “we look forward to the first recommendations of our strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture in the European Union. These recommendations will then feed into the work of the next Commission”, she concluded.
Link to the European Council conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/bhb (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur, with the editorial staff)