NEGOTIATIONS ON CAP REFORM: THE TRANSITION IS UNDERWAY

Last weeks were marked as follows:

– At EU Council level, delegations (i) broadly approved the idea of a common % for both CAP pillars for expenditure on climate and environmental measures, while refusing for the time being to determine amounts (ii) considered at the end of the Finnish Presidency that much remained to be done, mainly on the green architecture of the CAP and on the new governance model (iii) positioned themselves on the CAP transition regulations without major changes and a partial general approach without waiting for the outcome of the MFF negotiations

– At the level of the European Parliament, the ComAgri, noting the progress of the CAP reform and the renewal of the Parliament (i) reopened key provisions of the CAP, (ii) approved the first part of the transitional regulations.

– The President of the European Commission unveiled its European Green Deal for a Carbon Neutral Economy, which includes i) the “farm to fork” strategy which should impact the CAP at the level of national strategic plans ii) the biodiversity strategy which also has implications for the agricultural sector.

Highlights in chronology:

18/11 Agri-Fish council: idea of a common percentage for environment broadly backed

26/11Renew’s Katainen rapporteur on transition regulation

05/12 CAP needs to take new direction, with farmers “on board”

05/12 Agri MEPs (re)open key CAP provisions

11/12 Commission chief Von der Leyen unveils European Green Deal inc. roadmap

16/12 Finnish Presidency progress report’s satisfying but…

16/12 France, Spain and Germany agree on the CAP at the Agri-Fisheries Council

19/12 Clash over CAP convergence

01/01 A general approach of the Council on CAP’s transitional regulation in March?

09/01 Joachim Rukwied pledges for direct payments

22/01 Joint declaration for a simpler greener CAP that remains common across the EU

23/01 Exchange of views with the Commissioner in ComAgri

27/01 Croatian priorities, Green Deal queries and Transitional rules at the Agri-Fish Council

Renew Europe Elsi Katainen draft report’s on transitional rules

Agri perspective of the Biodiversity Draft Strategy