The prospects are good that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will remain strong after 2020. Yesterday in Brussels, EU agriculture ministers adopted presidential conclusions on the future direction of the CAP. The contents of the V4 statement adopted in Budapest in January were successfully included in the document. “Yesterday’s decision by the EU’s agriculture ministers has designated a definite direction for the Commission with regard to the drawing up of legislative proposals at the end of May”, Minister of Agriculture Sándor Fazekas stressed following a meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 19 March.
Since the publication of the Commission statement on the post-2020 CAP, Hungary has always represented the position that the Council must adopt a strong stance on its contents, otherwise the will of the European Commission itself could prevail.
The Hungarian Agriculture Minister emphasised that in addition to the CAP’s ambitious goals, the so-called presidential conclusions, which mirror the position of the majority of member states (23 countries), also refers to a suitably large budget.
“With relation to the future of Hungarian agriculture it is extremely important that member states have supported the continuation of the Single Area Payment System (SAPS). During preparations for the reform of the 2013 CAP, Hungary, together with the countries of the Central European region, successfully resisted attempts to do away with the SAPS system. This form of funding has become so successful and widespread that today most Western European countries that use other basic funding systems would also like to use the SAPS system”, the Minister added.
“A decisive majority of EU agriculture ministers agreed that production-based funding systems must also continue post-2020. This is the only element of direct funding that truly facilitates actual production and the preservation of our competitiveness. It is extremely important from the perspective of Hungarian farmers that it is through this type of funding that the provision of support for sensitive and labour intensive sectors such as animal husbandry can be realised”, Mr. Fazekas said.
With relation to rural development, at Hungary’s request the text specifically highlights the importance of agriculture investment projects and non-returnable funding. The Minister reminded the press of the joint CAP statement issued in Budapest at the end of January by the countries of the Visegrád Group (V4) and Croatia. “This was the first country group to put forward joint proposals with relation to the post-2020 CAP, and these are now also included in the document we adopted today”, he highlighted.
The European Commission will be publishing the legislative proposals for the sector, which will determine the detailed regulations of the post-2020 CAP on 29 May, during the drawing up of which it will take into account the contents of the adopted Council conclusions.