Statement by the Federal Government on the EU Commission’s Communication "The CAP towards 2020"

Source: BMELV, Walkscreen

With regard to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013, on 14 February 2011 the Federal Government finalised a statement on the EU Commission’s communication on "The CAP towards 2020 - Meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future".

The statement builds on the Federal Government’s position paper on the "Further development of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2013" of 31st March 2010. It refers to additional aspects which, in view of the course the discussions have taken so far at national and European level require closer examination.

For example, the Federal Government calls for the following:

• All measures should be consistent with the objective of promoting market-oriented and sustainable agriculture. In view of this

  • the Federal Government rejects the limitation of direct payments.
  • the Federal Government takes a critical view of certain measures such as maintaining production-linked direct payments, the introduction of a specific support scheme for small producers, the expansion of market measures and the extension of publicly funded risk management instruments.
• Greater account should be taken of environmental goals in the CAP. However, measures need to be developed for this which really increase the CAP’s environmental contribution in an efficient manner. A clear differentiation between measures of the first and second pillar should be aimed for.
• The future CAP must be organised so as to achieve a drastic simplification and reduction of the bureaucratic burden for farmers and administration. The Commission’s deliberations on expanding cross-compliance are not in line with this objective.
• Decisions with fiscal consequences in the context of the CAP can only be made once there is clarity about the future EU financial framework. The allocation of funding to the Member States should be based on the current distribution.