The European Ministers of Agriculture have reached an agreement after overnight talks in Luxembourg on their criteria for the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the next seven years. The ministers want 20 percent of the current income support for farmers to be linked to Climate and Environmental measures in the agricultural sectors.
The texts of the ministers’ agreement have not yet been finalized, so it remains unclear whether "agricultural" EU countries such as Poland or Hungary have made any reservations. It is also not yet clear which Climate and Environmental measures will qualify for subsidies. It is known that several EU countries and the European Commission wanted a more radical overhaul of the CAP agricultural policy.
The European Parliament has not yet reached agreement either. It is meeting and voting all this week on almost two thousand of its own amendment proposals. It has already become clear that the AGRI agriculture committee does not want to impose new duties on farmers unless the EU provides extra funding. This is also the position of the Dutch agricultural umbrella organization LTO.
However, the Climate and Environment committee ENVI in the European Parliament wants more far-reaching measures, such as a ban on chemical pesticides. They also believe that at least a quarter of agriculture should be organic. A large part of the current (hectare-based) subsidies could be used for this financing. They find that too few elements of the Green Deal are included in the new agricultural policy.
Dutch Minister Carola Schouten is pleased with the outcomes of the LNV ministers’ meeting: “I am glad that we as European agricultural ministers have reached an agreement that is good for farmers, and good for nature, environment, and climate. The new CAP must reward future-proof farming more strongly and thereby ensure high ambitions in greening, innovation and a fair income.”
For the new CAP, the Council of Ministers is committed to reserving 20 percent of the income support budget to reward farmers who contribute through their efforts to climate, environment, and nature objectives. Exactly what this entails has not yet been clarified.
In a negotiation where the Netherlands had high ambitions and many countries had different interests, the Netherlands is satisfied with this outcome, according to Schouten.
Once the CAP criteria of the European Parliament are clear at the end of this week, the Council and Parliament will negotiate together to form a joint position. Only then will it become clear what the exact consequences of the new CAP will be. That will be no sooner than 2023.