Crop rotation and permanent grasslands
24.11.2023
Question for written answer E-003452/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Bronis Ropė (Verts/ALE)
The Commission’s 2022 Communication on Enforcing EU law for a Europe that delivers stated the following: ‘The implementation and enforcement of regulations is equally important – and although regulations have direct effect, this often relies on the work of national authorities. Some regulations require changes in national legislation, and many give to national agencies or regulators responsibilities essential to put the legislation into practice. The Commission will therefore step up its efforts to monitor and enforce the implementation and application of regulations in a more systematic and strategic manner’. Article 4(3)(c) of Regulation 2021/2115 provides that areas may be considered as permanent grassland if two conditions are met: a) they must have a herbaceous cover; b) the area was not included in crop rotations for five years or more.
In Lithuanian legislation, herbaceous cover is defined in the Classification of Crop Declaration Rules. However, there is no definition of crop rotation either in the current Lithuanian crop declaration rules or in their 2014 and subsequent versions. This has led to a major problem in Lithuania due to the significant increase in the reference area of permanent grasslands in 2018 and the obligation to restore it.
Could the Commission answer the following questions:
- 1.Does the Commission not consider itself partly responsible for the inadequate transposition into Lithuanian national legislation of the provisions of Regulation 2021/2115 concerning the definition of permanent grasslands?
- 2.What specific measures does the Commission intend to take to address this problem?
Submitted: 24.11.2023