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On 18/12/2020, the European Commission issued a total of three documents concerning recommendations to Member States for the preparation of national CAP Strategic Plans. The General Commission’s Communication (available here) summarizes the basic areas for which recommendations have been issued. The Communication is complemented by an annex, which summarizes the benchmarks for the objectives of the European Green Deal (available here). The third document is a recommendation to each specific Member State. These are therefore 27 separate documents (available here), the recommendation is based on an analysis of the agri-food sector of a Member State. For each Member State, the Commission has made a maximum of 15 recommendations; according to the European Commission, the recommendations are not mandatory, so Member States do not have to include them in the draft strategic plans when drawing up the strategic plans.

At its Plenary session of 16/12/2020, the European Parliament approved transitional regulation on support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in 2021. Parliament supported the extension of EAFRD-supported programs of 31/12/2020 to 31/12/2022, the transitional period will last for two years. Under these provisions, Parliament also approved exceptional support for the agricultural sector during the coronavirus crisis, totalling €8.07 billion at current prices. Less than €2.4 billion will be released in 2021, the remaining amount of around €5.7 billion will be released in 2022. At least 37% of the additional resources will be devoted mainly to organic farming, climate change mitigation and adaptation, including the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, soil protection, including increasing soil fertility through carbon sequestration, better water use and management, including water conservation, the creation, conservation and restoration of biodiversity-friendly habitats, reducing the risks and impacts of the use of pesticides and antimicrobials, animal welfare, and LEADER. At least 55% of the additional resources in each rural development program will be set aside for measures to support short supply chains and local markets, sustainable use of resources, including accurate and smart agriculture, innovation, and digitization, strengthening occupational safety conditions, renewable energies, the circular economy and the bioeconomy, the availability of high-quality information and communication technologies in rural areas. On 16/12/2020 Parliament also approved the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 Under the new MFF, the CAP should contribute to climate action and adaptation - a total of 26% of the envelope for 2021-2022 and 40% of the envelope for 2023-2027. Subsequently, on 17/12/2020, Parliament approved the part of the MFF concerning, inter alia, own resources, which includes the forthcoming plastic tax.
EP opinions on the transitional period are available here, on the MFF here and here.

Trilogues between Parliament, the Council, and the Commission on the new reform of the Common Agricultural Policy continue. The last trialogue under the German Presidency took place on 17/12/2020, the next trialogue under the Portuguese Presidency will probably not take place until the second half of January 2021. The institutions will try to reach an agreement on the CAP by the end of the Portuguese Presidency (tentatively targeting April 2021), the agreement must be than formally approved by Parliament and the Council. Pascal Canfin, Chair of the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (COMENVI) threatened last week that the COMENVI could reject the adoption of the new CAP rules during the final vote if the European Parliament's negotiators give in too much to the demands of the Council (the Council has a milder position in many areas, for example, it calls for an allocation of 20% of the first pillar envelope for eco-schemes, while Parliament has 30%). Canfin emphasized that the new CAP must be in line with the European Green Agreement.

Agriculture Ministers met for the last time under the German Presidency on 15-16/12/2020 to discuss agricultural policy issues, this time focusing on animal welfare labelling and nutrition labelling on the front of food packaging. The Ministers of Agriculture IT, CZ and GR rejected the introduction of a pan-European system of labelling the nutritional value of food on the front of packaging, therefore the opinion of the Council of the EU was not reached on this topic, only the conclusions of the DE Presidency were presented. In its conclusions, the Presidency calls on the European Commission to draw up a legislative proposal based on a comprehensive impact assessment. On the contrary, the Council adopted an opinion on the pan-European animal welfare labelling scheme, which Ministers welcomed. They stated that farmers who benefit from animal welfare practices beyond the mandatory minimum should be entitled to higher income compensation. The Council called on the Commission to carry out an impact assessment in the event of the introduction of a Europe-wide animal welfare labelling scheme and to submit a legislative proposal. The labelling should gradually apply to all types of livestock throughout their lives (including transport and slaughter), and according to Ministers, a seamless relationship with existing labels should also be ensured. The Commission should go beyond mandatory welfare rules when designing an animal welfare labelling scheme and should consider the different geographical and climatic realities of the Member States. Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the Commission would present an impact assessment and a legislative proposal for animal welfare labelling. Voluntary use of the marking system was supported by IT, DK, ES, LV, RO, LU, EE, CZ, IE, HR, and CY.
More information is available here.

The rapporteurs of the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (Herbert Dorfmann, EPP, IT) and the EP Committee on the Environment (Anja Hazekamp, GUE / NGL, NL) continue to work on the draft EP opinion on Farm to Fork Strategy. The first public hearing took place on 07/01/2021, amendments were to be sent by 15/01/2021. Now, however, there has been a slight delay, the first discussion of both committees should take place on 25-26/01/2021, and amendments could then be sent by 28/01/2021. A public hearing should take place in early February 2021, with the EP plenary voting on the opinion at the end of April 2021. However, the situation may continue to change.