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The European institutions negotiated almost continuously for three days on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, from 25/05/2021 until the early morning hours of 28/05/2021, with a view to reaching an agreement almost three years after the European Commission's proposal was presented. Although the European institutions preliminarily agreed on several technical or less problematic points, the negotiations ultimately failed, especially on the setting of the green architecture of the CAP. More specifically, the institutions were not able to agree on how much money should be allocated to agri-environmental measures from the envelope for II. pillar (institutions proposed allocations from 33% to 38%), nor at the rate of offsetting payments for areas with natural or other constraints (ANC, institutions proposed offsetting at 40-60%). Other points where the institutions disagreed were the ringfencing of the first pillar budget for the eco-schemes, the management of unspent budget funds for eco-schemes, allocation of funds for coupled support, setting of social conditionality, better targeting of direct payments, and setting of a minimum share for redistributive payment, or the degree of connection of the CAP with the objectives of the European Green Deal. Negotiations will therefore continue, with another trilogue expected to take place around mid-June 2021 (date not yet confirmed), before the last meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers under the Portuguese Presidency, which will take place on 28-29/06/2021.
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During a jumbo trilogue on the CAP last week, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development emphasized that support for the Common Agricultural Policy had, in the past few decades, focused mainly on large farms, enabling them to draw the largest share of direct payments. The Commissioner reiterated that the number of small farmers in the European Union had fallen dramatically over the last ten years, so the new CAP should better target the funds paid to support farmers. According to the Commissioner, the reform of the CAP should include measures to help smaller businesses strengthen animal welfare measures, adopt environmental standards for livestock, reduce the use of pesticides or maintain adequate soil quality.
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The EP's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (COMENVI) voted on 28/05/2021 on its own opinion on the EU's biodiversity strategy. The COMENVI has supported the protection of at least 30% of the total land and sea area in the EU and that urgent step will be taken to strengthen the protection of bees and other pollinators. In this context, the Committee rejects the renewal of the license to use glyphosate after 2022. According to COMENVI, the working framework for the protection of biodiversity should be comparable to the European legal framework for climate, and targets should be introduced on a mandatory basis. According to MEPs, around EUR 20 billion a year should be allocated for the protection of biodiversity, and the topic of biodiversity protection should also be included on the agenda of the UN conference in October 2021. According to MEPs, around EUR 20 billion a year should be allocated for the protection of biodiversity, and the topic of biodiversity protection should also be included on the agenda of the UN conference in October 2021. The opinion was adopted by 62 votes to 4, with 12 abstentions. The EP plenary will vote on the COMENVI opinion on 07-10/06/2021.
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At the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 26/05/2021, EU Member States backed a European Commission study on how the EU could update existing legislation on plant reproductive material (PRM) and its marketing. Member States have recognized the need to modernize PRM legislation to respond to current challenges, including addressing climate change, food security and biodiversity protection, in line with the Farm to Fork strategy and the European Green Deal. However, forest reproductive material (FRM) should be dealt with separately.
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On 26/05/2021, the Council of Agriculture Ministers discussed the status of new genomic techniques, in particular the Commission's proposals to amend existing legislation on genetically modified organisms. Food and Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides assured ministers that any change to the EU's approval rules for the use of new genomic techniques in plant breeding would protect human and animal health and maintain the precautionary principle.
More information is available here.