Irish Regions Office Website

July 23, 2010

Institutions seek to shape CAP reform

The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a greener, more equitable and more competitive CAP post-2013 on 8 July

While stressing that the amounts allocated to the policy as a whole should be maintained at current levels, MEPs have come out in favour of reform measures being guided by the fairer distribution of payments using more objective criteria with less emphasis on acreage alone and more on other factors including regional circumstances.

The resolution also calls for an EU-funded top-up payment to reward high standards in areas, such as food safety and reduced greenhouse gas emissions associated with production.

The adopted text further calls for the continuation of the two-pillar structure of CAP, highlighting that rural development must remain a central aim of the future policy in order to play a role in ensuring the long-term survival of competitive and environmentally-sound farming in Europe.

EP Resolution

Meanwhile, at a major conference on the same issue on 20 July, Committee of the Regions (CoR) President Mercedes Bresso set out the opinion that CAP reform - as with all EU policies - should be based on a thorough assessment of its impact on local communities. This would not be restricted to rural development but also to agricultural production measures. Bresso also advocated a more joined-up treatment of EU agricultural policies.

The CoR recently presented a report on the future of CAP which emphasised equal treatment of the different types of production and regions by offering a more flexible range of support mechanisms which would be conditional upon social and environmental factors.

Further details

CoR own-initiative opinion on the future of the CAP

Posted by iroronan at July 23, 2010 05:44 PM