Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 3 July 2012 - Strasbourg

14. Direct payments to farmers (debate)

  President. – The sitting is resumed.

The first item is the report by Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos, on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 as regards the application of direct payments to farmers in respect of the year 2013 (COM(2011)0630 - C7-0337/2011 - 2011/0286(COD)) (A7-0163/2012).

  Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos, rapporteur. – (PT) Mr President, I would congratulate you and the Commissioner, and show my satisfaction at such an important issue, which probably does not need four minutes because, fortunately, it was a matter that we have dealt with based on a broad consensus.

As we all know, the Commission’s proposal aims to guarantee the continuation of direct payments for the transition year between the current common agricultural policy (CAP) and the reformed CAP, under the new multiannual financial framework. This proposal defines national envelopes for direct payments in calendar year 2013, that is, financial year 2014, and, within the overall amount available, as regards the direct payments, aims to make room for the new Member States’ phasing in and to guarantee the equivalent mechanism for the modulation to guarantee stability in the amounts allocated to farmers.

For the transition year, that is 2013, Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development has introduced some new provisions, so as to deal with certain Member States’ particular situations on funding for the second pillar of the CAP. I am talking, in particular, about the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden.

For 2013, the possibility of new Member States using, or continuing to use, national top-ups under the first CAP pillar was included, and a similar provision was made for the Republic of Cyprus following the request made in the trialogue negotiations. The result of these negotiations was duly transmitted to the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, and a broad consensus was reached on the results.

I should therefore like to show my appreciation for the provision of services by the Commission, the collaboration of the Danish Presidency, the Council, the secretariat of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Members involved in the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Committee on Legal Affairs, as well as the shadow rapporteurs, for having risen to the efficiency required for this report, as we particularly wanted to safeguard the guarantee of payments for this transition year.

I would therefore urge a majority vote and the adoption of this text during this plenary sitting, so as to conclude the role of this report’s colegislator and enable the official publication of this legislation, so as to make payments to farmers for next year in time. That is all, Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen.

  Dacian Cioloş, Member of the Commission. – (FR) Mr President, honourable Members, I am pleased to say that the legislative procedure for the adoption of the Commission’s proposal on the application of direct payments in 2013 is now in its final stages.

Firstly, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Capoulas Santos, but also the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), Mr De Castro, for their strong commitment to making quick progress with this issue throughout this procedure and also for their desire to reach an agreement with the Council at first reading, which will help us to take a quick decision.

As you know, the Commission attaches a great deal of importance to the swift adoption of this regulation in order to ensure the proper application of direct payments in 2013. That is why I am pleased that this compromise text is on the agenda for this plenary sitting ahead of tomorrow’s vote.

During the informal trialogue which took place on 24 May 2012, a political agreement was concluded with Parliament and the Council on the Commission’s proposal. This compromise text contains a number of amendments which are considered necessary for a joint agreement between Parliament and the Council and which the Commission can support.

I am also aware that some elements of this political agreement have been concluded on the basis of the principle that the scope of this transitional regulation is limited to 2013 and it does not prejudge decisions to be taken within the framework of the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and also the financial perspectives which I hope will be adopted soon.

  Giovanni La Via, rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Budgets. – (IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, for myself, of course, and on behalf of the Committee on Budgets, I wish to very much applaud the fact that this legislative procedure is concluding quickly and at first reading. Only one facet is, of course, of direct interest to the Committee on Budgets, and that is the link that direct payments in 2013 have with the new multiannual financial framework. As you know, the agricultural year in financial terms concludes on 15 October, and any direct payments to be disbursed in 2013 will, in fact, come under the 2014 budget.

Unfortunately, this multiannual financial framework is far from nimble on its feet, and the conclusion of the Danish Presidency was simply to pass on the work done to the Cypriot Presidency, which will have the task of carrying it on. We all hope that this task will be completed as quickly as possible, because this will not only allow direct payments in 2013, but will obviously enable the reform to be implemented in as short a timeframe as possible.

  Mariya Nedelcheva, on behalf of the PPE Group. – (BG) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I congratulate the rapporteur for the excellent job he has done. This dossier is indicative of several things.

Firstly, as far as the Commission is concerned, this is the institution which formulates the European Union’s policies. Its job is to draft the initial proposals, and we all know how important these are. It is also the body which distributes the payments. This is why I want to call on the Commission to take the new Member States into consideration. I want it to be more ambitious in its actions. We need to achieve a genuinely fair common agricultural policy.

Secondly, I want to focus on the actual Member States of the Council. They are in the easiest position to be able to identify the needs of farmers in the individual countries. It is their job to draft their national position. This is why I want to call on even greater cooperation from them. They are a vitally important part of the decision-making process, regardless of the fact that they are not present during the plenary sitting. I want them to know that their position is important to us.

Lastly, we MEPs are the ones who need to take into account everyone’s interests, horizontally and vertically: from those of the ordinary farmer to those of the whole European Union. I also wish that compromise, equality and fairness are the main features of the other reports on CAP reform, just as in this report. Congratulations once again.

  Ivari Padar, on behalf of the S&D Group. – (ET) Mr President, I wholeheartedly support all of the amendments proposed by the rapporteur, and I am especially pleased by the amendments that permit the new Member States to apply complementary national support in 2013. Without these opportunities for support, direct payments to Estonia would, for example, fall by roughly 20% in 2013, which would be difficult to survive. The fact that a reasonable compromise was reached in the preparation of this report also bodes well and is a good beginning for all of the upcoming discussions concerning the years 2014-2020, which will be a much more difficult period. This will give all Baltic farmers optimism that we in this House can find good compromises when planning the new agricultural policy.

  Britta Reimers, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – (DE) Mr President, Mr Cioloş, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make it clear that we in the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe support the amendments. We welcome the fact that the compromise we reached on retaining the existing exceptions has not resulted in any unnecessary interruption to the payments to farmers. It is important that we take up a clear position in this transitional year.

I would also like to emphasise that I welcome the constructive way in which we have worked together and I hope that we can continue to work even more constructively in future, because in the past, we were often only able to make progress on agricultural reform in fits and starts. I believe that it is high time for us to look at the facts, so that we can work together to produce an appropriate result for farmers.

  Ana Miranda, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – (PT) Mr President, I would like to thank Mr Capoulas Santos, who has always been a great defender of agriculture; we hope that he will continue to be so during the next common agricultural policy reform. He knows a great deal about the situations of the farmers who were waiting to receive continued direct payments.

I would like to speak briefly about the case of my country, Galicia, which is both an arable- and dairy-producing country, as we have mentioned here many times. Although the budget has been frozen for many rural development programmes, that is also due to the prevention of direct aid, in this case.

This regulation, which establishes standards for the current direct payment system, presents a consensus draft which is very important at a time in which the agricultural sector is experiencing substantial difficulties because of the lack of State aid from the Member States. This adjustment, equivalent to compulsory modulation, is also an important signal.

It is worth remembering that the budget planned for the next reform will considerably reduce the proportion of the Member States’ gross domestic product, so that we take that into account when looking at the future of the upcoming reform.

  Janusz Wojciechowski, on behalf of the ECR Group. – (PL) Mr President, I would like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Capoulas Santos, for his work. I am grateful for the fact that in 2013, farmers will receive further tranches of much needed direct payments without hindrance. I would like to express the hope that the year 2013 will truly be the last year in which such significant imbalances in the system of direct payment distribution occur. It is nearly 10 years since 10 new Member States acceded to the European Union. Farmers in those countries accepted the fact that for 10 years, they would have to operate under unequal conditions of competition, but that period was to end in 2013 for those 10 countries, and a little later in the case of Romania and Bulgaria. It is my earnest hope that just as the rapporteur made every effort on this matter, you too, Mr President, and all of us, will take pains when it comes to the main report – the most important report under discussion in this parliamentary term concerning the system of direct payments after 2014 – to eliminate discrimination and inequalities between Member States regarding direct payments.

  Alfreds Rubiks, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group. – (LV) Mr President, we believe that the finances of 2013 are being developed as the base year for the new multiannual financial frameworks. Direct payments are an important financial mechanism for ensuring equal opportunities to all, solidarity and development. My group and my electors in Latvia believe that proper determination of direct payments is not only necessary for a common, honest and fair market, but also very important in the social sphere. I support what I find to be very proper steps laid out with regard to this in the report of Mr Capoulas Santos, as well as the Commission’s stance on this matter, but we must go farther.

We believe that direct payments should be no smaller than 80% of the European Union average. Then we will be able to talk about fairness. Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian farmers receive direct payments. The amounts they are receiving today are discriminatory. Such injustice must be rectified. This situation has already led to, for example, Latvian farmers leaving the country and land being cheaply purchased by the rich people of other countries. As a result, more and more villages are losing this status, as there are no more people living in them, and agricultural land is becoming overgrown. I give my thanks to those working to prevent such things from happening.

  Diane Dodds (NI). – Mr President, first of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for all his work and the progress that he has made in relation to the direct payments issue for 2013.

Whilst it is important to make provision for the payments in 2013, it is also important to make provision in the amendment for the rural development spend. For us in the UK, that has also been very important. It is also very significant for us that there are payment commitments for less favoured areas and for the agri-environment schemes that are so important.

Also very important is that the transition for these payments must be smooth, and limited in its impact on farmers’ incomes, especially in the light of the ongoing volatility within world markets. Therefore I believe that we can be pleased with the progress to date and the constructive outcomes.

The current reform of the common agriculture policy post-2013 must also recognise the importance of direct payments and support through Pillar 2 for those actively farming to produce traceable, wholesome food and promote food security within Europe. I believe that Pillar 1 payments should remain as direct support to recognise the extra lengths that farmers go to in producing food. Pillar 2 is best placed to deliver tailored outcomes in rural development and in the environment.

I also believe it is important that we must be very strong in achieving a credible budget settlement in the MFF and, most importantly, we must correct the imbalances in rural development allocations; this is especially important for countries like the United Kingdom, which traditionally has a very poor allocation. That historical imbalance now needs to be sorted out.

  Rareş-Lucian Niculescu (PPE). – (RO) Mr President, the draft report on the application of direct payments to farmers in respect of the year 2013 provides the legal framework required at the moment. The rules tabled by the Commission and rapporteur, whom I would like to thank, are balanced and suitable for the new Member States like Bulgaria or Romania. No adjustments are provided for these states since direct payments are still not fully phased in. No net ceilings have been set either for Romania or Bulgaria for the total amount of direct payments, which is a fair decision.

This report enables Parliament to take a further step towards preparing the new European agricultural policy. The steps which will follow are definitely more important and will pose a major challenge. We will shortly be debating the reports from the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, and every topic will be dealt with at the appropriate time. However, based on today’s report, I would like to stress that it will be important for us to continue to examine together how we can create a fair system. For instance, how can we ensure that Romania and Bulgaria, which are still having direct payments phased in, are already able to achieve this from 2014?

  Ulrike Rodust (S&D). – (DE) Mr President, Mr Cioloş, ladies and gentlemen, we are in the middle of reforming the common agricultural policy and Parliament, in its new role of colegislator, will tomorrow adopt the first regulation from the reform package on the application of direct payments for the transitional year 2013. This is a positive development and an important moment.

I would particularly like to thank the rapporteur, Mr Capoulas Santos, for his very good work which, most importantly, was completed quickly. This regulation must come into force on 1 January 2014 to ensure that there are no financing problems during the transition from the current regulation to the next reformed regulation on direct payments. Therefore, it was particularly important for Parliament and the Council to reach an agreement quickly. Continuity in financing is a decisive factor for the Member States. This is why it is so important that the transitional regulation for 2013 comes into force at the right time. The current regulation on direct payments remains valid in 2013, but some of the financial provisions in the regulation only apply until 2012.

I welcome the solution identified by Parliament and the Council, and particularly the transfer from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2.

  Alyn Smith (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, I will be no exception in congratulating our prolific and energetic-as-ever rapporteur, Luis, for a solid piece of work this evening. It is amazing that he has managed to find time to fit it in, with everything else he has been undertaking. This is a bit of solid work on the part of Parliament and the Commission in terms of giving some welcome clarity going forward for our farmers that rural development programmes and LFA direct payments will continue in the bridging period into the next CAP. There is not a great degree of controversy around the Chamber tonight.

You might wonder why we are devoting parliamentary time to this at all. However, let us not forget that this is controversial in certain circumstances and certain circles. There are Member States which want to cut direct payments to farmers. However, from a Scottish perspective, direct payments are of crucial support to farm incomes and we very much want to see them continue.

I am very pleased that the Scottish Government has been so constructive and so in the mainstream of European thinking. It is rather unfortunate that our present Member State has been rather less constructive in its negotiations, not least over the general nature of the budget. However, Commissioner, I can assure you that you do have some allies in the British Isles. I look forward to working with you for the betterment of Europe’s agriculture.

  Julie Girling (ECR). – Mr President, I am sorry I will not be continuing the obsequious tone.

I particularly welcome the support of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the anticipated support more widely in plenary for the amendments on voluntary modulation. This mechanism is necessary to address the issue of the UK being at the end of the queue when Pillar 2 funds were distributed at the beginning of this CAP period.

Despite this very poor settlement, it is widely acknowledged that the UK has delivered strong agri-environment schemes via its singular use of the voluntary modulation mechanism. Although not initially or particularly popular with farmers, and not necessarily the way we may wish to move forward in the new direct payment framework, it is vital to secure stability for the period 2013 to 2014.

Therefore, I would like to say thank you to Mr Capoulas Santos once more for his pragmatic approach. I look forward to continue working with him on CAP going forward.

  Patrick Le Hyaric (GUE/NGL). – (FR) Mr President, I, too, would like to congratulate Mr Capoulas Santos for his work on this report.

The transitional proposal before us today is one of common sense. We will support it, although I am still opposed to the decoupled payments system and aid based on surface area. The fairest and most effective solution is a remuneration mechanism based on work and not on surface area, which favours industrial agriculture.

I should also like to take advantage of this opportunity to say that we must, in my view, re-examine, within the framework of this debate on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP), a basic price setting mechanism for a series of production data with aid modulations depending on data related to geographical location, the work being carried out and the environment.

Lastly, I believe that we will have to firmly defend the CAP budget for agricultural income, for employment, and, ultimately, for social and environmental justice.

  Nicole Sinclaire (NI). – Mr President, many of my constituents have contacted me regarding being disadvantaged by an uneven playing field in the direct payments and CAP in general. Direct payments, or direct subsidies to farmers, account for three quarters of the CAP budget, which, of course, is 48% of the EU budget, so it is quite a considerable amount of money. However, the Conservative-led British Government is reluctant to make use of some of those discretionary funds that are available to support our farmers. In fact, they are increasing the uneven playing field by wishing to voluntarily reduce direct payments faster than any other Member State, which is why I will be voting against Amendments 1 to 12 and 13.

The struggles of UK farmers are compounded by the Commission’s ongoing use of the historical distribution key to allocate Pillar 2 funds between Member States. This discrimination against the UK primarily needs to stop. We need a fairer allocation of Pillar 2 farmers and to protect our farmers in the UK.

  Csaba Sándor Tabajdi (S&D). – (HU) Mr President, Commissioner Cioloş, ladies and gentlemen, thanks to the excellent work of the rapporteur, Mr Capoulas Santos, the draft allows for the granting of unreduced direct agricultural subsidies to new Member States in 2013. In 2012, we finally managed to equalise the level of support granted to new and old Member States. This, however, does not mean an equalisation of the subsidy amounts, as pointed out very correctly by Mr Wojciechowski. I, for one, am very pleased that Mr Capoulas Santos understood the problem that will, unfortunately, represent a major issue for new Member States as of 2014, namely, that these Member States will need to switch from the SAPS to the SPS, and will not be able to carry over their existing benefits that are based on Article 68(1)(b) and (c) and on ‘top-up’, that is, national complementary payments. This was, unfortunately, left out of the Commission draft, but the rapporteur, Mr Capoulas Santos, understood the problem. The new Member States, these 12 Member States that will be transitioning from the SAPS to the SPS, must not be put at a disadvantage. I would like to ask Commissioner Cioloş to take steps to this end at Commission level.

Catch-the-eye procedure

  George Lyon (ALDE). – Mr President, there was some concern, both in London and Holyrood, when the Commissioner published the legislative proposals which missed out the inclusion of the voluntary modulation powers. Clearly, both in England and in Scotland, without the ability to top-slice single farm payments and switch the money into rural development, the rural development programmes, both in England and Scotland, would have huge financial black holes in them for the year 2013.

Thankfully, as a result of the strong lobbying of the Commission by both the UK and Scottish Governments, and with the assistance of my colleagues here in Parliament – Luis Capoulas Santos, Paolo De Castro, Jim Nicholson, etc. – we have managed to insert them back into the package. That will give some reassurance that both the United Kingdom and Scottish Governments now have the power to decide whether they want to top-slice farmers’ single farm payments and switch the money in order to plug that financial black hole in the rural development programmes in 2013.

I would like to thank Luis and Paolo for their cooperation. I wish you well, Luis. I hope the next two legislative packages go as smoothly and as speedily as this one has, but I somehow have my doubts.

  Bogusław Sonik (PPE). – (PL) Mr President, I welcome this perceptive report and would like to take the opportunity to say that the future budgetary framework should prevent the emergence of a two-speed Europe, a prospect which will become a reality unless we align payments across all Member States. We are talking about combating the budgetary crisis and a need for solidarity. Poorer countries such as Slovakia, for example, also contributed to the support of southern European countries which are experiencing difficulties. We must now discontinue this policy, as it is unjust, incomprehensible and contrary to the idea of solidarity, which is the very cornerstone on which Europe is built.

  Phil Prendergast (S&D). – Mr President, I welcome this proposal, which is largely administrative but gives European farmers a level of certainty for the next financial year. More broadly, I have a couple of points to make on the related issue of direct payments to farmers from 2014 onwards and which arose out of meetings I have held in my constituency over the last couple of weeks. First of all, on the issue of coupled support, I think we will have to look at the changes to Mr Capoulas Santos’s report and look at possibly deleting the list. This would allow Member States greater flexibility to determine the precise nature of the coupled support provided nationally.

On greening, I think it will be important to increase the baseline from crop to diversification which, as it stands, is impractical, especially for small and medium farmers. Also, in relation to the ecological focus areas, again we need to ensure that the percentages are workable and that we have a comprehensive and precise list of what is and what is not included in these areas.

Finally, on the issue of convergence, I welcome Mr Capoulas Santos’s softening of the Commission proposals, and I think more will need to be done to ensure that the viability of farm businesses at national level is not threatened by policy changes at European level.

  Kay Swinburne (ECR). – Mr President, my constituency in Wales depends heavily on the rural economy; farming in particular is a vital contributor to the Welsh economy. Given the extent of less-favoured area farming, however, Welsh farmers are disproportionately reliant on direct payments. Without these payments, many farming families would probably leave the business altogether. I therefore welcome the move to allow these direct farm payments to continue on an historic basis for the coming year until the new CAP is in place.

I would, however, make a plea that transitional arrangements under any new agreement should be flexible and open to regional interpretation as our farmers adapt to the new rules. I look forward to welcoming the Commissioner himself to this year’s Royal Welsh Show, where the farmers can put their case to him directly.

  Czesław Adam Siekierski (PPE). – (PL) Mr President, the year 2013 is a transitional year as it will see the conclusion of the multiannual financial framework 2007-2013. It is also associated, however, with the next multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. I endorse the support given to agricultural holdings in the new Member States which receive in excess of EUR 5 000 due to a generally lower level of payments in these Member States. At the same time, I am in favour of other temporary solutions adopted in this regulation being aimed at ensuring equal conditions for competition between farmers from the new Member States, the new twelve, and the old Member States, the old fifteen. Taking into account the fact that in 2013, there will not be any sectoral support within the framework of complementary national direct payments, as well as the fact that the proposed structure of direct support after 2013 does not provide for equalising direct payments, the imbalances will still remain.

  Wojciech Michał Olejniczak (S&D). – (PL) Mr President, I, too, would like to say how pleased I am that we have managed to find a compromise, and I thank the rapporteur, Mr Capoulas Santos, for having formulated sound solutions. This means that we will be able to continue with modulation and also support farmers in the old Member States. This debate and our discussion show that we all consider direct payments to be a very important instrument for supporting farmers. Nowadays, however, maintaining direct payments at different levels seems unjustified when farmers are operating across the single market and selling their goods at similar prices throughout the entire EU, whilst also purchasing the means of production at equal prices. We have a situation where farmers in France pay exactly the same for tractors, agricultural machinery and fertilisers as farmers in Poland. This concerns not only the old Member States but also the new ones. Currently, differences are maintained across the old Member States. Farmers in France receive different direct payments from farmers in Germany, and different amounts again are received by farmers in Poland and Lithuania. These discrepancies should be eliminated in the new multiannual financial framework after 2014.

  James Nicholson (ECR). – Mr President, can I also add my thanks to the rapporteur and say to Luis, as someone else has also said, enjoy the bouquets we are throwing at you tonight because we may not be as generous in the weeks and the months to come; but enjoy them tonight.

It was very important that we were able to get this situation covered because it would certainly have been quite a disaster otherwise. I think it is good that Parliament was able to exercise its right and ensure that we were able to cover what was overlooked in the past.

While I am certainly no fan of modulation and I have always opposed it, this was very necessary to guarantee funding for rural development measures and commitments, certainly in the United Kingdom.

Can I add my words and say how deeply dissatisfied we are with the Pillar 2 amount that is awarded to us, because it is restricting us in carrying out real good projects and works, and I hope the CAP reform and the multiannual financial framework negotiations with the UK will receive a fair share. This was very much good work. Well done and thank you, Luis.

End of the catch-the-eye procedure

  Dacian Cioloş, Member of the Commission. – (FR) Mr President, I am delighted to see that there is a great deal of support, practically unanimous support, for the way in which we have reached this compromise in order to pass this regulation which will enable us to grant these transitional payments as quickly as possible.

There was never any question as to whether direct payments would be granted in 2013, but it is true that we needed this regulation to clarify certain aspects, certain transitional measures, both for new Member States which have a payment system based on surface area and also for those which grant complementary payments, due to the difference that still exists compared with the EU average. We were able to clarify these conditions thanks to this regulation. However, as some of you have mentioned, this will also enable certain Member States, such as the United Kingdom, to maintain this voluntary modulation between direct payments and rural development in 2013 in order to be able to continue to finance measures within the framework of rural development.

Some of you have already mentioned the work that is currently under way on the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) for the next budget period. I remain very attentive to the work that the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) is carrying out on the reports presented by the rapporteurs, and I hope that we will very quickly enter into formal discussions between the Council, Parliament and the Commission in order to achieve a fairer CAP reform with, if possible, consistent budgetary support that lives up to our ambitions for our agricultural policy.

  Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos, rapporteur. – (PT) Madam President, I would just like to express my thanks for the kind words expressed by all, by my fellow Members and the Commissioner. I must say that it is very rewarding to work on an objective which unites us all. When we all concentrate on a common goal, we can move mountains, despite the short timeframe. In fact, we were working against the clock and we were all aware of the need to achieve this aim and solve several problems in various Member States. I am pleased to witness this constructive spirit, not only within our working group for Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, but also from the Commission and the Council. I hope that the good working environment which has been created can be a stimulus for the difficult work that lies ahead. Nonetheless, I am sure that, if we maintain this spirit, we will achieve positive results. When I speak of positive results, I mean for the European farmers, whom we all want to support.

  President. – The debate is closed.

The vote will take place on Wednesday, 4 July 2012.

Written statements (Rule 149)

  Arkadiusz Tomasz Bratkowski (PPE), in writing. – (PL) I come from a region where agricultural holdings make up over 60% of the total area, and where, for many inhabitants, agricultural production is the basic and usually the only source of income. As a result, I feel obliged to appeal for fair treatment for farmers in all of the Member States. However, the upcoming reform of the common agricultural policy 2014–2020 is our greatest concern. In this reform, the European Commission proposed a gradual equalisation of direct payments. If, however, we recognise what I feel is an unduly slow pace of evening out existing imbalances in the level of subsidies between Member States, we can but anticipate that achieving full equalisation will take several decades. This will impact negatively on the competitiveness and profitability of farmers mainly from the new Member States, including Poland.

Today, we are debating the adjustment of legislative procedures to the provisions of the Treaty of Lisbon, but let us not forget that equal and just treatment of all citizens, regardless of nationality, is one of the fundamental provisions of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

  Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra (PPE), in writing. – (ES) I understand that many issues must be taken into account in the debate on the future of the common agricultural policy (CAP), in the context of the debate on the multiannual financial framework and on the transitory period for 2013, but they should not cause us to forget the urgent need to secure our farmers’ present and future.

The economic crisis threatens the sector’s survival, so we need to guarantee the level of aid granted to farms, especially in the countries where we are suffering most from the crisis, such as Spain.

The necessary financial discipline should not lead to a drastic adjustment of the CAP or a radical reduction in existing funds. I want to express my doubts regarding a possible single rate, even if it is greater than 50%, as it would mean the most vulnerable regions paying more, while ‘budgetary restrictions’ are being required of the country.

This is a complicated debate but, now more than ever, we must increase our efforts to strengthen the CAP as part of the backbone of the EU, not forgetting decisive support for those regions and countries being hit particularly hard by the economic crisis.

  Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska (PPE), in writing. – (PL) Notwithstanding financial support from the common agricultural policy, unemployment in rural areas is increasing much more rapidly than in cities, especially in eastern Poland, including Podkarpacie, the region I come from. This situation shows that effective reform of the common agricultural policy is required.

Reducing the discrepancies in direct payments is an important issue for Polish farmers. If we advocate a single market and the competitiveness of European agriculture, such large disparities in payments between individual states, or even between regions, must not exist. As EU data shows, the Union average is at the level of EUR 271 per hectare, while in Poland, it currently stands at EUR 214. In my region, I am frequently asked about the level of future payments to Polish farmers, about ways to reduce bureaucracy, and about how to make the best use of payments in order to stimulate competition in agriculture and reduce unemployment. From 2014, these disparities will most likely be reduced slightly. The payment will increase to around EUR 223-231, but Polish farmers will still be receiving over 20% less than the European average. This, therefore, begs the question as to when exactly will the anticipated changes take place.

  Csaba Sógor (PPE), in writing. – (HU) There is broad consensus in Europe that the current system of direct payments will need to undergo changes in the course of the reform of the common agricultural policy. We seem to be in agreement that the efficiency with which the payments are spent must be increased, and farmers must be relieved of unnecessary administrative burdens. In the meantime, however, I would once again like to point out that although these payments require significant funds, they continue to be the engine of agricultural policy. This is especially true for Member States that joined the EU after 2004, as in these countries the standard of living of agricultural producers is extremely low, and any reductions in the amount of payments could entail serious consequences for the region’s agricultural sector. I believe that Europe must face the fact that in the eastern parts of the continent, the very viability of agricultural production depends on retaining the level of direct payments.

  Claudiu Ciprian Tănăsescu (S&D), in writing. – (RO) At a time when the reform of the European Union’s common agricultural policy is being negotiated and this draft regulation is the first report from this reform package which will be adopted, I am pleased that the negotiations between the Council and Parliament have not encountered any major problems and have managed to reach a compromise at first reading.

Bearing in mind that direct payments have provided, and continue to provide, a vital instrument for supporting European agriculture and farmers in Member States, it was vital to ensure the continuity of this instrument for the period immediately ahead as well and for the calendar year 2013. Farmers in Member States who are eligible for complementary national direct payments up to 2012 need a transition period up until the future legislation on direct payments is adopted, which will come into force from 1 January 2014.

  Valdemar Tomaševski (ECR), in writing. – (PL) The proposal to amend the regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of direct payments to farmers mainly concerns the year 2013. We should remember, however, that the calendar year 2013 corresponds to the financial year 2014, which makes it part of the next multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. The regulation presented should, therefore, be discussed from a broader perspective, and not just as provisions for a twelve-month transitional period. There is little objection to the specification of net ceilings for direct payments for the calendar year 2013 as contained in the regulation, with the aim of ensuring stable payment levels and the phasing in of these in new Member States.

The regulation, however, lacks a clear reference to the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. It should contain a clear declaration on ending the unequal direct payments to farmers which are unfair to the new Member States as they are many times lower than the payments made in the states of the so-called old Union. There is no rational justification for sanctioning the disparities which exist concerning the financing of agriculture and which artificially split Europe into two where the agricultural sector is concerned. Not only is it unjust, it also restricts agricultural competitiveness in the new Member States, and is at variance with the much-heralded slogans about equal opportunities and the alignment of development across old and new EU Member States. The lack of a clear declaration on this matter may give rise to suspicions that the unequal treatment of farmers will continue into the future. That would be quite unacceptable.