European spending targets for climate action and biodiversity protection remain unchanged by the changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the MFF. These were the words of Franck Conrad, Unit Head for Budgetary Performance at DG Budget, during a brief exchange of views with MEPs on the European Parliament’s Budget Committee on Monday 8 April.
The EU’s stated objective of devoting 30% of its spending to climate action is expected to even be exceeded “significantly”, according to the senior official.
The revision of the Multiannual Financial Framework is expected to lead to only “marginal modifications”: the budgetary amendments made to certain programmes will be offset by “significant reprogramming planned for RePowerEU”.
However, a number of MEPs have expressed concern about these statements, pointing in particular to the changes that need to be made to the CAP.
German Greens/EFA MEPs Rasmus Andresen and Martin Häusling condemned the downgrading of cross-compliance criteria, the absence of an impact assessment on climate targets and the failure of the EU’s ambition to devote 7.5% of the 2021-2027 MFF to biodiversity targets.
Once again, no need to worry, according to Franck Conrad. While the 7.5% target will “not be reached” due to a “lack of resources”, the impact of CAP reform will be “modest in budgetary terms” and should not result in any major changes.
The Commission plans to publish a detailed report by June on these spending targets and the lack of impact of the budget revisions. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)