CAP reform: striking a fair balance between environmental and economic objectives

"Green architecture has been at the centre of discussions on the CAP reform over the last three months. The Report reinforces the environment's requirements but with a stronger accent on an incentive-based approach compared to the European Commission’s proposal. In addition, a fairer distribution of the payments has been proposed in favour of small and medium farming enterprises”, said Esther Herranz García MEP, responsible for the strategic plans of the Common Agricultural Policy post-2021. This cornerstone of the CAP that sets out its objectives is being voted today in the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee.

The Rapporteur’s main objective in the negotiations has been to strike a fair balance between the environmental and economic aspects by means of rewarding the efforts made by farmers to comply with new environmental requirements.

"The European Union should make an effort to improve the understanding of the role that farmers or the CAP play from the environmental point of view and from the socioeconomic perspective. Everybody has to make particular efforts to respect the environment, but farmers cannot just simply be blamed for climate change or for the economic situation of producers in third countries."

"During the CAP reform negotiations, another important EPP Group priority has been to enhance the common rules in order to safeguard EU policy in favour of all farmers, without hindering the objective to give more leeway to Member States to adapt the EU Regulation to their particular domestic situations. The Report restores certain existing provisions to guarantee the equal treatment of farmers across the EU, but also introduces new ones when necessary."

"The Agriculture Committee has seized this opportunity to ask that the CAP budget be maintained at its current level and I hope that EU capitals will not dismiss the Parliament’s aspiration to maintain a strong CAP. We have also taken into consideration the need to improve the participation of women in the development of the agricultural sector and rural areas", concluded Herranz Garcia.

A press conference with Mr Dantin, responsible for the Single CMO Regulation for CAP, and Mrs Herranz Garcia takes place today, Tuesday 2 April at 17.00 hrs in Room 0A050, Paul-Henri Spaak Building, European Parliament, Brussels.