As announced, on Monday 13 May the Council of the European Union approved the regulation aimed at relaxing certain rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Only Germany abstained from the vote (see EUROPE 13407/11).
The relaxations, which are intended to respond in part to concerns raised by EU farmers, pertain to five standards relating to good agricultural and environmental conditions (GAEC), amendment of the CAP Strategic Plans and exemptions from controls and penalties (see EUROPE 13401/1).
For GAEC 7, crop rotation will remain the main practice, but Member States will be able to replace it with crop diversification, which will be less demanding for farmers, particularly in areas affected by drought or high rainfall. For GAEC 8, farmers will only be required to maintain existing topographical features and will now be encouraged, on an optional basis, to retain set-aside land.
The legislative act will be signed by representatives of the Council and the European Parliament. It will then be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force on the day following its publication, before the end of May.
Link to the rules: https://aeur.eu/f/c6f (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)