Rules establishing Common Agricultural Policy strategic plans

In “A European Green Deal”

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For a brief overview of the key points of the adopted text and its significance for the citizen, please see the corresponding summary note.

On 1 June 2018, the European Commission published its proposals establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP). They include provision for a new delivery model. While the EU would set the basic policy parameters such as the nine specific objectives of the CAP (which cover economic, social and environmental objectives) as well as the different types of intervention, the Member States would have responsibility for translating the framework into support arrangements for beneficiaries. The Commission also identified higher ambitions in relation to the achievement of EU environment and climate related objectives and a better targeting of direct payments with a shift towards a more results-based approach. In practical terms, it would involve national authorities establishing a CAP strategic plan setting out their proposed interventions.

In Parliament, the file was assigned to the Agriculture & Rural Development (AGRI) Committee. The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) obtained the status of associated committee under Rule 54. 

On 29 October 2018, the AGRI rapporteur Esther Herranz Garcia (EPP, Spain) published her draft report. This noted that members of the AGRI Committee had expressed concern over implications arising from the proposals’ increased subsidiarity and pointed to the need to reword the text to strengthen certain common elements of the CAP. The Committee on Budgets submitted its opinion on 22 November 2018, which included its position on the level of funding for the CAP reflecting the latest breakdown of the EU budget per programme. Opinions were also received from the Committee on Budgetary Control, the Committee on Development, the Committee on Regional Development and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. The ENVI Committee voted its draft opinion on 14 February 2019.

On 2 April 2019, the AGRI committee adopted the report by 27 votes in favour, 17 votes against and one abstention. The text approved by the AGRI Committee however did not reach the plenary due to the end of the eighth parliamentary term.

After the European elections, Peter Jahr (EPP, Germany) was appointed as AGRI rapporteur in September 2019, while Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourg) was appointed rapporteur in ENVI. On 16 October 2019, the Conference of Presidents decided that as part of a list of unfinished files on which the Parliament had not yet adopted a position, work on the three CAP files constituting the CAP reform package should resume. The AGRI Committee held a public hearing on CAP reform in December 2019. This included a panel on strategic plans which was co-chaired by the ENVI Committee. The potential for a more sustainable agriculture was examined along with an exchange of views with members.

The committee rapporteurs and shadows were mandated to continue working on finding a broad consensus on points with a view to political groups tabling amendments for the October II plenary session. During this session, on 23 October 2020, Parliament adopted its first-reading position on the Commission’s legislative proposal for the CAP strategic plan. The adopted text constitutes the basis for the subsequent ‘trilogue’ negotiations with Council.  

In Council, the first formal exchange of views on the CAP legislative proposals took place in June 2018. Consecutive Council presidencies pushed forward discussions with presidency papers and progress reports, inviting Ministers to consider questions on the most critical issues, including the cuts proposed by the Commission to the CAP budget in general and rural development in particular, flexibility, simplification, and the nature of the new delivery model. Whilst welcoming in general the elements of simplification and subsidiarity, some Ministers reiterated concerns about possible additional administrative burden and costs associated with the proposed new delivery model. Discussions identified the need for further consideration on the content of the CAP strategic plans, the performance review system, financial flexibility, indicators, environmental and climate-related aspects, small farms and the possibilities offered by eco-schemes (i.e. a new instrument designed to reward farmers for environmental care and climate action). These considerations have formed the basis for continuing work on this file in subsequent Agricultural Council meetings. In its October 2020 meeting, the Council adopted a general approach on the post 2020 CAP reform package, constituting its position for the subsequent 'trilogue' negotiations with the Parliament.

Negotiations between Parliament and Council commenced for all three CAP files on 10 November 2020 and continued through a series of 'trilogue' meetings. In late June 2021, negotiators reached an agreement on the three proposals of the CAP reform package. This agreement was endorsed by EU agriculture ministers on 28 June 2021 and by AGRI members on 9 September 2021. The agreement on the CAP strategic plans regulation was voted by AGRI members by 38 votes in favour to 8, with 2 abstentions. 

Parliament voted on the three proposals of the CAP reform package during its November II plenary session. The provisional agreement on the CAP strategic plans regulation was approved by a large majority of Members, as well as the statements annexed to the regulation. An amendment tabled for the plenary and aimed at voting down the proposed regulation was rejected by a large majority of the votes. Council's formal adoption of the three regulations took place without debate on 2 December. The CAP strategic plan regulation, now Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of 2 December 2021, was published in the Official Journal L 435 of 6 December 2021, pp. 1–186, and it will apply as of 1 January 2023.

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Further reading

Author: Rachele Rossi, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu

As of 20/02/2024.