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On 27/09/2019, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) launched a review to determine whether EU Member States are taking full advantage of the opportunities of new modern technologies in agriculture. The ECA will also assess how the European Commission has encouraged Member States to use new monitoring methods (including satellite imaging), whether Member States are making use of the opportunities, and what challenges and barriers are associated with the use of new technologies. According to the ECA, the outcome of the review could also have an impact on the CAP reform post 2020 discussions. The ECA foresees that up to 100% of agricultural controls could be implemented with new modern monitoring methods.
More information is available here.

Last week, British food policy expert Tim Lang said that if the UK left the European Union without an agreement, it could face the risk of not being able to secure enough food for its citizens. Currently, up to 10,000 trucks a day are imported from the EU to the UK market. According to recent government statistics, the United Kingdom is not self-sufficient and is therefore unable to feed its citizens from its own resources, especially if it would have to happen within a few weeks. According to some British figures, the level of self-sufficiency fell from 78% in 1984 to 61% in 2018.
More information is available here.

Last week, representatives of European institutions said that the CAP post 2020 cannot be negotiated until agreement on the budget for that period is reached, the Multiannual Financial Framework post 2020 (MFF). Until the budget is agreed on, the representatives of the institutions will stagnate in the negotiations on the CAP. Finland, currently chairing the Council of the European Union, sent out MFF post 2020 questionnaires to the EU Member States in mid-July, the responses should be sent to the Finnish Presidency at the end of August 2019, the first discussion on the replies should take place in September 2019. It is likely that further discussions on the CAP will only take place on the basis of the Member States’ responses to the MFF questionnaire.

Bulgaria seeks the post of Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. Mariya Gabriel, the current Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, could become the new Commissioner for Agriculture. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has already discussed the possibility of acquiring this portfolio with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Gabriel was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development in 2009-2014, and she was a member of the Working Group on Beekeeping and Bee Health in 2014-2017. Gabriel advocates reducing the use of neonicotinoids due to their negative effects on pollinators. Bulgaria is not the only country that has shown an interest in the post of Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development - Poland, Romania and Italy also target this post. The new Commission should be operational from November 2019.

Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Dan Jørgensen confirmed Denmark's earlier commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030 (compared to 1990). According to Jørgensen, greenhouse gases must now be reduced, particularly in agriculture and transport, and this will be a very complicated task in agriculture - Jørgensen said that achieving this objective must not jeopardize the competitiveness of the Danish agricultural sector. He has therefore identified the Danish target as very ambitious and difficult to achieve, but Denmark will do its best to achieve it - whether by carrying out a number of studies, developing new tools and technologies, or establishing cooperation with other countries. Jørgensen hopes that Denmark's commitment inspires other Member States to adopt similar targets. According to Denmark, the European Union should commit itself to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.