The agriculture ministers of the sixteen German states have reached an agreement on the introduction of a new European Common Agricultural Policy. This removes an important obstacle for Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Julia Klöckner (CDU) in reaching a consensus with Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD).
Klöckner still has a few reservations about the states' compromise but wants to 'tick it off' at Wednesday's weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin. The compromise reached so far concerns only the allocation of EU subsidies. There are still major disagreements regarding a new German animal welfare law, the restructuring of agriculture and livestock farming, and how these will be financed.
It remains uncertain whether all of this can be settled before the summer recess and the election campaign.
The sixteen regional agriculture ministers (from CDU, SPD, Greens, and FDP) agree that 25% of the EU agricultural subsidies should be earmarked for environmentally and climate-friendly production methods. This position goes further than Minister Klöckner and the EU countries want (20%), but falls short of the European Parliament’s demand (30%).
The trilogue at EU level has, however, not yet been concluded. Observers in Brussels expect the compromise between the EU ministers and the European Parliament to settle at around 25%. The sixteen German states also accept that 10% of the edges of fields should remain uncultivated in agriculture.
The ministers have also agreed on the amount of the shift to the second pillar and a new distribution key for funding rural development (ELFPO). These amounts will increase from 10 to 15 percent over four years. According to calculations, starting in 2026, a total of 47 percent of the German CAP funds will be paid out for Green Deal and Farm to Fork measures.
Minister Klöckner regretted that the state ministers had not decided on a major redistribution toward small businesses. She conceded that a 10 percent shift in direct payments would not be easy for German farmers. Much will be asked of them.
The compromise of the sixteen states means that the German regions can no longer oppose modernization of agricultural policy. They now expect Merkel, Klöckner, and Schulze to take their positions into account. The draft laws could be approved by the federal cabinet on March 31.