In a position adopted, on Thursday 10 July, by the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), direct payments remain essential and should be primarily targeted at active farmers, especially those in fragile regions, “early-career farmers and those most in need”.
The group therefore supports the European Commission’s proposals to apply capping, degressivity of aid and “labour-based” thresholds, but believes that these tools must be adapted to each Member State in order to respect national differences and local farm structures.
Fairness in the distribution of direct payments, both between and within Member States, is also considered essential by the group's MEPs.
Income support under the CAP should increasingly integrate result-oriented elements, rewarding the delivery of ecosystem services, public goods, and sustainable practices, while maintaining long-term income stability through “ well-designed and attractive eco-schemes that do not create additional bureaucracy”, also reads the Renew Europe group’s position. “However, result-based payments should complement direct payments, not replace them”, the group insists.
Coupled support must be maintained and strengthened where justified, notably in livestock and strategic production sectors, linked to value chain development, food security, and regional resilience.
Another demand: conditionality must be maintained and procedures simplified, while a higher level of environmental ambition should be encouraged through new reward-based instruments.
The Renew Europe group also says that the CAP must make biodiversity, pollinators, water resilience and soil health strategic priorities.
Lastly, trade policy needs to ensure that imported products comply with EU standards, including restrictions on substances banned in the Union and controls, particularly in terms of “environmental protection, food safety, animal welfare and labour conditions”. Fair competition is based on equivalent rules, according to the Renew Europe group.
Link to the Group’s position: https://aeur.eu/f/ht6 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)