EU farm ministers approve CAP reform
December 17, 2013 | 05:06 PM
The European Union farm ministers today approved the latest version of the Common Agricultural Policy, the last step in the lengthy process of developing the new policy, EurActiv.com reported today.
Copa-Cogeca, the European association of farm groups and co-ops, welcomed the announcement, but urged the ministers to make sure the implementation rules will not add to farmers’ costs or increase red tape.
The package is the first one to involve the European Parliament as well as the European Commission, the EU executive branch, and the announcement that the agreement had been approved at the political level proves that “that the EU co-decision making process with European Parliament works,” Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said in a news release.
“The overall reform package is a solution farmers can live with and a big improvement on what was originally proposed, being more realistic and practical to apply,” Pesonen said.
“Farmers will still, however, have to do a lot more for less money due to the onerous nature of the greening requirements and environmental services that they have to provide,” he said.
“We consequently urge the European Commission to ensure that they do not go beyond the CAP reform deal for some elements of the agreement like greening when drafting the implementing plans or delegated acts and urge the commissioner to ensure that the political agreement is respected. Bureaucracy and red tape for farmers must also be minimized.”
“We also urge the commission to wrap up the package so that it can be introduced in 2014 and apply in fully in 2015 and can ensure farmers and cooperatives can get on with making production and investment plans for the future. We need a good agriculture policy in place capable of meeting growing world food demand expected to rise by 60 percent by 2050.”
EurActive.com — EU ministers give farm policy final political seal
Copa-Cogeca, the European association of farm groups and co-ops, welcomed the announcement, but urged the ministers to make sure the implementation rules will not add to farmers’ costs or increase red tape.
The package is the first one to involve the European Parliament as well as the European Commission, the EU executive branch, and the announcement that the agreement had been approved at the political level proves that “that the EU co-decision making process with European Parliament works,” Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said in a news release.
“The overall reform package is a solution farmers can live with and a big improvement on what was originally proposed, being more realistic and practical to apply,” Pesonen said.
“Farmers will still, however, have to do a lot more for less money due to the onerous nature of the greening requirements and environmental services that they have to provide,” he said.
“We consequently urge the European Commission to ensure that they do not go beyond the CAP reform deal for some elements of the agreement like greening when drafting the implementing plans or delegated acts and urge the commissioner to ensure that the political agreement is respected. Bureaucracy and red tape for farmers must also be minimized.”
“We also urge the commission to wrap up the package so that it can be introduced in 2014 and apply in fully in 2015 and can ensure farmers and cooperatives can get on with making production and investment plans for the future. We need a good agriculture policy in place capable of meeting growing world food demand expected to rise by 60 percent by 2050.”
EurActive.com — EU ministers give farm policy final political seal
