Appraisal: ‘The CAP towards 2020: Meeting the food, natural resources and territorial challenges of the future’
The communication goes at great length to greenwash direct income support. The crux is a lowering of current cross-compliance standards and the introduction of another layer of eco-conditionality. But the greening of blanket subsidies is not sufficient. What is needed are truly targeted payments that reward farmers’ individual provision of public goods in line with local conditions.
- Read a detailed appraisal of the leaked communication that fully applies to the official communication now released.
- Read a comparison between the communication and a declaration by agricultural economists from across Europe issued in November 2009.
- Read a declaration by agricultural economists, issued in October 2010 partly in response to a leaked version of the Commission communication.
- Read a recent opinion piece in European Voice, 'CAP or European integration?’, which sets out the costs to Europe if it accepts the European Commission's proposals for agricultural reform.
If the legislative proposal on the post-2013 CAP will be based on this communication from DG Agri, and subsequently be watered down by farm protests and the haggling within and between the Council and the Parliament, the 2013 reform will not deliver a green, equitable and efficient CAP. While some stakeholders are pleased with the green lip service of the Commission, others stress the substantial weakness of the proposals:
- Bird Life: Green shoots for CAP reform? Commission signals green CAP reform is on the table
- European Environmental Bureau: EEB reaction to the CAP Communication: First steps towards a greening of the CAP?
- Pesticide Action Network: The Common Agricultural Policy communication - a lost opportunity to show the real potential of Europe’s agricultural sector.