Spotlight on the post-2020 CAP reform package
On Monday 21th September, EU agriculture Ministers met in Brussels in the framework of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council to discuss the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform package in the view of adopting a general approach including the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy.
The session was chaired by Julia Klöckner, German Minister for Food and Agriculture, who steered the meeting to focus on three elements related to the future CAP, as defined in a background paper prepared by the presidency:
The green architecture promoting higher environmental and climate objectives by the optimisation of the existing green practices and the introduction of new ones such as eco-schemes;
The future direct payments system of the CAP;
The new delivery model increasing Members States flexibility and responsibility regarding the achievement of agreed objectives by drawing and implementing their own national strategic plans after having been reviewed and approved by the European Commission.
Among other business, the French delegation presented a common declaration on the necessity of a plan proteins development in EU agriculture which was supported by 14 other delegations (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain).
Overall, many EU Ministers welcomed the suggestions put forward by the German presidency, although they had divergent views on some issues specifically related to the new delivery model, such as the approval process of the national strategic plans and, more generally, the need for a simplified policy. Nonetheless, they all stood firm on the aim of agreeing the Council's general approach in October 2020.