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On 10-11 / 12/2020, the leaders of the EU member states agreed on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030. The adoption of the MFF was blocked by Poland and Hungary, which refused to make the disbursement of EU funds conditional on the rule of law. However, an agreement was reached on 10/12/2020, with all Member States supporting the compromise tabled by the German Presidency. EU leaders also agreed on greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030. These should be reduced by 55% compared to 1990. The Council opinion states that the new 2030 target must be achieved in a way that maintains the EU's competitiveness and considers the different starting positions of the Member States, their specific national conditions, and the potential for reducing emissions.
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The last trialogue on the CAP Strategic Plans under the German Presidency was scheduled for 10/12/2020 but was postponed. The new trialogue should probably take place on 17/12/2020. Issues related to Annex III of the CAP Regulation, i.e., the rules of the GAEC, are currently being discussed. Herbert Dorfmann, the agricultural coordinator of the EPP's political group, said that some progress could be made in this section by the end of the year, however, any further action on other issues is unlikely.

A group of 40 environmental and climate scientists drafted a joint opinion on CAP reform last week, which was sent to EU Commissioners, MEPs, and German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner. According to the authors of the opinion, the new CAP proposals are a step backwards. The authors recommend that the protection of permanent pasture be extended beyond protected areas, that decoupled payments be phased out and that payments for ANC areas be made conditional on the fulfilment of strict environmental criteria. According to scientists, none of the opinions on the CAP (Commission, Council, or Parliament) sufficiently reflects the objectives set out in the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork, and the EU Biodiversity Strategy. If the new CAP were set up according to one of the current proposals, then it would meet neither the objectives of the European Green Deal nor its own greening policy objectives.
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The rapporteur of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development for its opinion on the Farm to Fork strategy, Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, IT), reiterated last week that the strategy must strengthen the emphasis on consumers. According to Dorfmann, consumers will play a key role in the success of the parties' strategy of moving towards more sustainable agricultural and food practices. According to Dorfmann, the strategy is now focused primarily on farmers, neglecting the role of consumers. The strategy mentions targets for reducing pesticides by 50%, fertilizers by 20%, antibiotics by 50%, but also expanding the area of organic farming to 25% of the total agricultural area in the EU. According to Dorfmann, however, it is precisely these goals that completely exclude consumers from the equation - in organic farming there are absolutely no goals set to target the demand for organic production, only goals are set setting the minimum area of organic farming in the EU According to Dorfmann, for example, a target for the share of organic food on store shelves could be introduced, which he said could be a 20% target. Dorfmann also did not support the widespread introduction of NutriScore, which he said was too simplistic and which could lead to the promotion of more processed foods. According to Dorfmann, this is the paradox of the NutriScore system - it aims to combat highly processed foods, but its introduction could motivate producers to replace problematic ingredients with, for example, artificial ingredients.
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The EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI), together with the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (COMENVI), is working through its rapporteurs to draft the EP's first draft opinion on the Farm to Fork Strategy. The draft opinion was due to be finalized on 11/12/2020 and should be presented in committee during the public hearing on 07/01/2021. It will then be possible to send amendments by 15/01/2020, with technical and shadow rapporteurs taking place during February and March. The committees should vote on the opinion in April 2021, and the opinion should be approved by the EP plenary in May. The rapporteur for COMAGRI is Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, IT), the rapporteur for COMENVI is Anja Hazekamp (GUE/NGL, NL). The shadow rapporteurs are Asger Christensen (Renew, DK), Sarah Wiener (Greens, AT), Clara Aguilera (S&D, ES), Ulrike Müller (Renew, DE), Tilly Metz (Greens, LU), and Mazaly Aguilar (ECR, ES).