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The EU has € 387 billion to distribute to small farmers in the mountains and mega farms in the vast plains. The result is a minimal ecological compromise. Minister Köstinger considers the Austrian agricultural model safe.
To answer the question chosen for the heading: Because agriculture is the most important item in the entire EU budget. And because the distribution of money just decided will take effect until 2027. Therefore, it is about the distribution of 387,000 million euros over the next six years. An EU agricultural reform is a big part that could point the way in terms of environmental policy. And after two days of negotiations in Luxembourg, the EU agriculture ministers agree. It is not an easy task, because farmers in different countries have different structures, needs and interests.
What many companies, mountain farmers and large-scale farms, have in common: farmers depend on payments from Brussels, but at the same time fear excessive environmental regulation. Until now, a large part of the money from the so-called first pillar of the EU’s agricultural policy has gone towards direct payments to farmers. The total depends mainly on the size of the cultivated area, which is especially beneficial for large farms that often place less value on sustainable cultivation. A small part of the money in the second pillar goes, among other things, to the development of rural areas.
“Eco-Schemes”
The so-called eco-regulations should guarantee greener agriculture in the coming years. These are environmental requirements that go beyond the mandatory requirements for direct payments to farmers. According to the commitment of the EU states, the EU states must reserve at least 20 percent of direct payments for these eco-regulations. If a farmer complies, he receives additional money. In this way, agriculture that respects the climate and the environment should be more attractive to farmers.
German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner spoke on Wednesday morning as Acting President of the Council and thus negotiator after nearly two days of negotiations in Luxembourg on a “system change”. “We show that stronger environmental and climate ambition goes hand in hand with food security and the necessary income support for businesses.” According to Glöckner, one billion euros of the agricultural budget in Germany would go to eco-regulations, which are called eco-schemes in the English jargon of the EU.
Austrian Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) said she was satisfied with the deal in a broadcast: “We have enforced at EU level that the Austrian way is respected and supported. The result is an essential step towards a greater protection of the climate and the environment in the European agricultural policy and, at the same time, farmers receive compensation for the extra work. ” A system change is needed in agriculture, Köstinger continues. “Austria is Europe’s delicatessen, from alpine farming in the west to arable farming in the east.
Two-year transition period
Organic regulations are a key element for an environmentally and climate-friendly agricultural policy, EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said Wednesday morning. At the same time, he stressed that he would like EU states to have even greater ambitions.
Several EU states had rejected the binding green rules in the course of the negotiations. After improvements to the German compromise proposal, the compromise was finalized early in the morning. In accordance with this, a two-year “learning phase” is now planned for eco-regulations. Its purpose is to ensure that unused money from these environmental programs is not lost to the EU states. In addition, the federal states should also be able to accredit the environmental services provided in the so-called second pillar of the common agricultural policy, rural development, in ecological plans.
Environmentalists locate the classic politics of clientele
All of this is not enough for environmental organizations. German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner and many of her European colleagues have opted for a classic clientele policy for large farms and agriculture at the expense of family farms and the environment, according to a statement released Wednesday by Greenpeace. “390 billion euros in agricultural subsidies should continue to be distributed largely unconditionally, rather than specifically promoting environmental and climate protection in agriculture,” said Lasse van Aken, Greenpeace agricultural expert.
The budget for eco-regulations is one fifth lower than that decided by the EU Parliament, and the transition phase is also criticized. “If the Council prevails in reforming the EU’s agricultural policy, there is a risk of seven lost years, which we urgently need to stop the dramatic loss of biodiversity in the countryside and develop sustainable rural agriculture,” van Aken said.
Clear words also from WWF. The reform will become a “disaster for the protection of nature and the climate,” announced WWF. “The EU Agricultural Council continues with its destructive subsidy policy in favor of large agricultural corporations,” the position of the states is “disastrous”, said the director of nature conservation of the environmental organization, Christoph Heinrich.
Negotiations with the EU Parliament can begin
The European Parliament had already laid the cornerstones of its position for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) late on business night, and is calling for a share of at least 30 percent of direct payments for organic regulations, in other words, a higher share than the Council has now decided. Parliament wants to determine its final line by the end of the week. Subsequently, both parties, the parliament and the EU states, could negotiate with each other on agricultural reform. An agreement is expected in spring 2021. However, environmentalists had already clearly criticized the parliamentary position, describing it as insufficient to achieve the EU’s climate goals. 30 percent would now be considered a success.
(klepa / Ag.)
