The Agriculture Ministers of the EU countries are discussing the future of the European Common Agricultural Policy in Koblenz, Germany. Both supporters and opponents of the European Green Deal will be protesting there from Sunday. They are demanding more sustainability or fewer budget cuts.
The ministers meet on Sunday and Monday in Koblenz; the agriculture committee of the European Parliament will resume discussions on the multiannual budget, on the Common Agricultural Policy, and on the Green Deal on Wednesday after the summer recess. Given the disagreements and conflicting interests, these negotiations could be explosive, not only between political factions but also with the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, and even with heads of state and government leaders.
Where it was common until a few years ago for the EU Agriculture Commissioner, the Euro-Agriculture Commission, and the Ministers of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to determine the policy and budgets, the agricultural landscape in Brussels now looks very different.
For years, many EU countries have requested reducing the large EU agricultural expenditures, which was blocked by major agricultural countries for a long time. Almost one third of the entire EU budget goes to Agriculture. Because hundreds of billions must now be allocated for the corona recovery fund, no one, including AGRI, can escape budget cuts. This may mean that CAP subsidies will be distributed in a very different way.
Europe wants to be a world leader in combating climate change and protecting nature and the environment, but the EU still struggles to reconcile that vision with its own gigantic agricultural subsidy system. The bloc is also working on the reform of its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) worth 336 billion euros, which the Commission considers crucial to achieving those ‘green’ objectives.
Moreover, it will become clear in the coming six months whether the Environment Committee ENVI will gain the greatest authority over the Green Deal budgets, and thus also over the most important part of the AGRI budget.
Even before the European Union has adopted the Green Deal legislation, the proposal is already facing objections and concerns from some EU countries and agricultural lobby groups. Six Eastern European countries called this month for making the green targets ‘advisory’ rather than ‘binding’.
“Brussels cannot expect farmers to support a strategy that undermines the viability of their own sectors,” warned Pekka Pesonen, head of the European agricultural Copa & Cogeca lobby, in May. EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski previously said the Brussels plans could be “reconsidered” if they threaten competitiveness or food security.
Critics are now questioning whether the reform of agricultural policy and the Green Deal can really be aligned or whether one will dominate the other. The debate over to what extent farmers should be encouraged to take environmental measures—and how much money they need for that—will continue to shape the agendas of many European Parliament politicians in the coming six months.