The European Parliament on Friday adopted a new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) plus -

ALLILI MOURAD / SIPA

MEPs voted by a large majority on Friday, the three reports constituting the new common agricultural policy (CAP).

The ministers of the 27 member states agreed on Wednesday on their roadmap after bitter talks.

From now on, on the basis of their respective proposals, MEPs, States and Commission (the European executive) will have to negotiate and decide by the start of 2021 on the rules that will apply from 2023.

All claim to want to green the new policy.

The European Parliament voted to make European aid conditional on farmers' compliance with reinforced environmental practices.

Eco-schemes (bonuses granted to farmers participating in more demanding environmental programs) will be compulsory: States will have to devote at least 30% of direct payments from the EU to farmers.

The ministers of the Twenty-Seven recommend allocating only a minimum of 20%, but this remains far below the recommendations of environmental organizations.

35% of the budget for measures related to the environment and climate

As Brussels aims for carbon neutrality in 2050, agriculture - a major emitter of greenhouse gases - is a crucial lever: with a budget already set of around 387 billion euros for seven years, the CAP is the first EU budget item.

MEPs plan to devote at least 35% of the rural development budget to environmental and climate-related measures.

Concerned about protecting small farms, they also voted to gradually reduce annual direct payments to farmers above 60,000 euros and to cap them at 100,000 euros.

Finally, the texts provide for giving governments greater room for maneuver for the distribution of European funds - on condition that they respect the EU's environmental and climate commitments.

“It's a good compromise that brings real change.

The CAP will have to be consistent with the objectives of the Paris agreement (on the climate) and the + European + Green Pact ”, underlines MEP Pascal Canfin (Renew, liberals).

Very unbalanced in favor of industrialization of agriculture

The architecture of the new CAP was, however, drawn up in 2018, before the European strategies of the Green Deal and “From farm to fork”, adopted in spring 2020: these aim in particular to reduce use by 50%. pesticides by 2030 while reserving a quarter of the land for organic crops.

However, Mathieu Courgeau, French farmer and member of the “Good Food Good Farming” group (400 NGOs in Europe) said he was “very disappointed”.

After the "retrograde text" of the ministers, that of the MEPs "does not guarantee sufficient redistributions of aid to small and medium-sized farms.

It is very unbalanced in favor of the industrialization of agriculture and insufficient to ensure its ecological transition, ”he explains.

" It's a disaster "

"It's a disaster (…) We will remember that in 2020, Europe renationalized the CAP and missed the environmental transition", echoes Socialist MEP Marc Tarabella.

His group (S & D, Social Democrats) was divided on the vote.

The Greens, denouncing a "historical error" and maintaining a "status quo", unanimously rejected the text, like the European United Left, whose French delegation (France rebellious) denounced a "cynical communication exercise" and "Profitability logic".

"The agro-industry must rub its hands," lamented Suzanne Dalle of Greenpeace.

"After welcoming the Green Deal, MEPs missed the opportunity to make its objectives a binding legal reality", preferring "to use taxpayers' money to perpetuate a system favoring industrial and polluting agriculture", added the lawyer Lara Fornabaio, of ClientEarth.

"The objectives correspond to the realities on the ground"

Faced with detractors, MEP Anne Sander (PPE) boasts "a balanced text, the objectives of which correspond to the realities on the ground", a "synthesis" between economic development, social concerns and "environmental sustainability".

Now, opponents are calling on the European Commission to influence the negotiations.

“She will have to act decisively.

Otherwise, the Green Pact is seriously threatened ”, launches the WWF organization.

World

Bullfighting: Europe votes to ban CAP aid to fighting bull farms

World

CAP: Agreement of the 27 of the EU on the new formula from 2023

  • ecology

  • Weather

  • European Parliament

  • Agriculture

  • EU

  • Europe

  • Pac

  • Economy