Yesterday’s super-trilogue in Brussels on a new European Common Agricultural Policy did not yield a breakthrough. Portuguese Minister of Agriculture Maria do Céu Antunes spoke of being 'closer to an agreement,' but the European Parliament believes the 27 agriculture ministers need to show more flexibility in order to reach an agreement before May.
The biggest disagreements mainly concern the distribution of agricultural subsidies. The European Commission and the European Parliament believe these payments should no longer be based on hectares, but rather on actual production and production methods.
Subsidies must also be paid to the farmer, not the landowner. This could cause problems especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Therefore, there is still no consensus among many ministers on the definitions of 'farmer,' 'young farmer,' and 'active farmer.'
The agriculture ministers also oppose 'EU obligations.' Several countries have stated they do not intend to implement the farm-to-fork food criteria. Commissioners Frans Timmermans (Environment) and Janusz Wojciechowski (Agriculture) said that assessment criteria will be included in National Strategic Plans per country and that these will be 'evaluated' by Brussels.
The expansion of organic farming area to 25 percent will not apply per country but for the entire EU, as was previously clarified. This somewhat eases pressure on countries with limited expansion capacity, but EU countries remain jointly responsible for achieving the EU targets, said Wojciechowski.
The European Parliament’s chief negotiator, Norbert Lins (EPP, DE), called the super-trilogue a much-needed push in the negotiations over the CAP reform. “Regarding the definitions of young, new, and active farmers, we have gained a better understanding of each other's positions and are now one step closer to an agreement. However, further debates will be necessary, for example about capping direct payments.
The next trilogue negotiations are now scheduled for April 16, 21, and 23. Negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, and the Commission on the final form of the EU agricultural policy reform began on November 10. Since then, about seventeen trilogues and several dozen technical and preparatory meetings have been held.