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During negotiations on the multi-million dollar agricultural reform, EU ministers reached an agreement. Federal Minister of Agriculture Klöckner was able to resolve the blockade with a proposal.
EU states have agreed to a multi-million dollar agricultural policy reform. After almost two days of negotiations, the agriculture ministers of the member states agreed on a compromise proposal from the German presidency of the EU Council in Luxembourg on Wednesday morning. Since the European Parliament also wants to determine its final line this week, both sides can start negotiations with each other.
The federal minister of agriculture, Julia Klöckner, had previously presented a new proposal. Klöckner said there have been “a lot of very intense discussions” with the other countries. Because Germany will hold the presidency of the EU states until the end of the year, it is leading the negotiations. The ministerial meeting began Monday morning.
It’s about a lot of money
The CAP reform aims to make European agriculture more sustainable, but the debate is also about a lot of money for Member States. Agricultural policy is the most important element of the EU budget. In the preliminary agreement of the EU states for the next EU budget, 387 billion euros are allocated for this over seven years, of which 42 billion euros for Germany.
Most of the funds traditionally flow as direct payments to farms. According to current EU regulations, this money can be linked to environmental programs, so-called eco-schemes, in order to offer farmers incentives for greater environmental protection. Until now, the use of green plans has been voluntary for the Member States.
According to Klöckner, that should change with the reform. The new proposal now states, among other things, that EU countries must reserve 20 percent of direct payments to farmers for so-called organic regulations. These are environmental requirements that go beyond the mandatory requirements. If a farmer complies, he receives additional money. However, several EU countries had refused to make it mandatory. Therefore, the proposal now foresees a two-year learning phase.
The EU Parliament is committed to the key points
While the ministers were still deliberating, the European Parliament had already decided the key points. MPs voted on Tuesday night, among other things, that in the future at least 30 percent of direct payments should be used for so-called eco-regulations. These are environmental requirements that go beyond the mandatory requirements. If a farmer complies, he receives additional money.
MEPs also approved an amendment to increase penalties for those who repeatedly violate EU requirements. At least six percent of the national budget for direct payments should be allocated to small and medium-sized farms. A good third of the money earmarked for rural development goes to environmental and climate measures.
Criticism of the reform: “the worst type of green wash”
However, the proposal put forward by the three most important political groups, the Christian Democrats, the Social Democrats and the Liberals, was also the subject of strong criticism. Consequently, the protection of the environment and the climate are not sufficiently taken into account. All three groups had prevailed against the weather, he wrote about Green MP Michael Bloss on Twitter.
Greenpeace agriculture expert Lasse van Aken called the pledge “greenwashing the worst kind,” meaning an attempt to give reform a green face without good reason to do so. “Without environmental requirements, most of the taxpayers’ money continues to flow as direct payments, benefiting large companies in particular,” van Aken said.
In 2018, the EU Commission proposed a reform of the CAP for the years 2021 to 2027. In the meantime, there is already a transition phase for the next two years, so the new rules would not come into force until 2023.
