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On 07/09/2020, the EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) adopted an opinion proposing to strengthen the EU's 2030 emission reduction target from 40 to 55% and the medium-term target for 2040 by 35 votes to 8, with 5 abstentions. The EU and each individual Member State should achieve climate neutrality by 2050. A legislative proposal for the 2040 target should be presented by the end of September 2028. COMAGRI believes that the Commission should prepare a proposal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 in the form of regulations, not in the form of delegated acts. The opinion also calls for support for carbon-neutral agriculture and support for market development in the removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere through payments to farmers for carbon sequestration in soil. However, the main negotiating power on the subject belongs to the Committee on the Environment, which has significantly strengthened its objectives compared to COMAGRI (see above).
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On 09/09/2020, the Commission launched feedback on the implementing rules for import tariff quotas for food and feed. The consultation is open until 07/10/2020, available here.

On 08/09/2020, the Commission launched feedback on the LEADER programme in the framework of rural development. The aim of the initiative is to assess whether the CAP has helped to improve the socio-economic aspects of territorial development. The consultation is open until 13/10/2020, available here.

On 07/09/2020, the Commission launched feedback on a long-term vision for rural areas. The initiative aims to create a vision for rural areas by 2040 and to collect data on low-income issues and demographic change. The consultation is open until 30/11/2020, available here.

On 07/09/2020, the Commission launched feedback on the impact of EU agricultural policy on society and the economy in rural areas. The purpose is to assess the socio-economic impact on territorial development, through measures to support economic development and contribute to poverty reduction. The consultation is open until 30/11/2020, available here.

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled last week's expected package to support the French economy. France will release €1.2 billion for the agricultural sector to facilitate the transition to sustainable agriculture. Of the total, €350 million will go to support healthier and more local food production, €250 million to rehabilitate agricultural machinery and reduce the amount of pesticides used, €250 million to modernize slaughterhouses and strengthen animal welfare, and €200 million to help adaptation of forests to climate change. French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said a total of €364 million would be earmarked to restore food sovereignty in France.
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Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said at the EP Agriculture Committee (COMAGRI) on 07/09/2020 that he would work to ensure that the recovery plan was released to the agricultural sector as soon as possible. The recovery plan is intended to rebuild the EU economy during and after the pandemic crisis, with the Commission proposing to allocate €15 billion to the agricultural sector. During the July European Council, this amount was halved. According to the representatives of the European institutions, the resulting €7.5 billion was to be committed only to the new CAP programming period, so that farmers could not receive the funds (in the case of a two-year transitional period) until 2023. However, COMAGRI members criticized the postponement of the payment of emergency aid, calling on the Commissioner to speed up the release of funds. In response to calls, the Commissioner confirmed the Commission's interest in mobilizing funds, stressing that the agricultural sector must start recovery now, not in two or three years.
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The German presidency is in favour of a rapid mobilization of €7.5 billion from the recovery plan for the agricultural sector. According to the Commission, the funds should be released at the start of the new CAP programming period, but if a two-year CAP transitional period were approved, the funds would not be released until 2023. The German Presidency therefore proposes to link this amount to the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) already during the transitional period. According to the German proposal, the funds could be released already during 2021 and 2022. The written proposal will be presented at the meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture on 14/09/2020.