Leaders of the European Parliament’s main parliamentary groups have rejected the European Commission’s proposal for the next EU budget, a move welcomed by Copa and Cogeca.
In a letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the leaders of the European People’s Party, Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe, and Greens/EFA call for changes to the budget. They say they “cannot accept this as a basis to start negotiations”.
The groups instead request for funding on agriculture and cohesion to be split, rather than combined into one fund, as the Commission intended. The Commission needs the combined votes of these party groups for the budget to pass.
The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is financed through two funds: the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and it accounts for 31% of the total EU budget. The Commission had proposed a single fund to finance CAP, something Copa and Cogeca, which represent European farmers and agricultural co-ops, labelled as “a historical misstep”.
“In their letter, the leaders of the four parties express concern over a problematic re-nationalisation, the need to maintain a dedicated CAP budget, the preservation of a level playing field for our agriculture and a reform with an inherent democratic deficit,” said Copa and Cogeca in a statement. “Consequently, they warn that without responses on these key points from the European Executive, the Parliament may reject the NRPP [National and Regional Partnership Plans].”
Related: European agri co-ops launch petition against single fund CAP
Copa and Cogeca are calling for an alternative approach, rather than “a few cosmetic amendments or a sprinkling of additional budget”.
“European farming organisations call for an alternative that respects the very nature of the CAP,” they said, “maintaining it as an independent policy with two pillars, a secure and independent budget and inflation-proof funding that complies with EU treaty provisions.
“We call on members of the European Parliament, as well as the European Council, to remain extremely firm on this issue. We also assure the co-legislators of our determination and full mobilisation on a matter that is vital for millions of farmers, co-operatives, and rural communities.”
