The EU agriculture ministers will discuss, on Tuesday 10 September in Budapest, the possible direction the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could take after the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 expires.
The informal meeting of agriculture ministers will take place from Sunday 8 September to Tuesday 10 September, with the theme of ‘Farm-centred EU Agriculture’ chosen by the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council: “Towards a competitive, crisis-resilient, sustainable, farmer- friendly, and knowledge-based future Common Agricultural Policy” (see EUROPE 13453/3).
Farmers have had to cope with a number of challenges in the recent past, such as extreme weather events caused by climate change, high input costs, the negative effects of war, or market disruptions caused by increasing imports from third countries., the host country points out in a note (https://aeur.eu/f/dcc ) ahead of this informal meeting.
At the same time, farmers have to “meet increasingly stringent production standards and cope with increased administrative burdens”, according to the memo.
Farmers need European responses to these challenges, and the Hungarian Presidency wants to launch a debate in the EU Council on the post-2027 CAP. This debate will help outline the expectations of agriculture ministers in the conclusions, which the they are due to adopt shortly. The goal of these conclusions will also be to “guide the new Commission, set to take office in the autumn”, according to Hungary.
Three topics are scheduled for debate: simplifying agricultural support payments and reviewing the main types of support; ways of enhancing the agricultural sector’s contribution to green objectives without jeopardising farmers' competitiveness; and a review of the instruments of the crisis management system, “to ensure effective support for farmers in increasingly frequent crisis situations”.
Agricultural markets. In addition, experts from EU countries will be meeting on Monday 9 September in Budapest, within the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA), to discuss once again the situation of agricultural markets within the EU, this time focusing on the pigmeat and poultry sectors. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)