MEPs debate on the new Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). Opening statements by the rapporteurs Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), Ulrike MÜLLER (Renew, DE) and Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU, ENVI Committee), by Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture. This transcript is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): opening of the joint debate by Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), Ulrike MÜLLER (Renew, DE), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), rapporteurs, Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), and by Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, EU Commissioner for Agriculture

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, I'd like to wish you all a very good morning to all my colleagues in you in Parliament. I think today's a very important day. I think it's a good day as well for the CAP, particularly for our farmers. There's been two and a half year of negotiations. Huge amounts of shadow meetings. Negotiations, sometimes on the motorway, in the car. Now, sometimes I was sweating supplies. I was freezing not because of the content, but because of the weather.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, A trialogue almost failed and on top of that we had COVID 19, so there would have been sufficient reasons not to deliver or not to be able to deliver on time. But all of us together the commission, the parliament and the council, we've been able to agree so we can deliver because it's not just a political or ideological battle, but it's about our farmers.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, It's about security of supply. It's about 55 billion euros a year. It's about money for our agriculture, so it's very important. It was important to deliver on time. Now, first of all, let me just say a few words of comfort to my colleagues who are not quite so satisfied with the reform. Everyone knows, and one who had to write a book, whether it was a PhD, you would think you could have done a bit better. Of course, that's true. And it might be true now.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, But we know how things go. You could become an intern or you could be turned working on your PhD., but didn't want to think that things have always got to get better. We'll never deliver. That's why we thought it was important to decide on agricultural reform, not to keep it going forever. That's why we had to make compromises. Our task was to come up with an effective reform as quick as possible.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, We've done this, so I'm recommending that you vote in favour. It is innovative. It is more environmentally friendly. It is moving from the larger farmers to smaller farmers. It's seeing farmers as business persons and the member states are getting more room for manoeuvre. So what is actually innovative in this reform is the so-called deliver model.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, In other words, with the indicators, the member states have to calculate how and whether the CAP is developing. There are actually the statistical evidence. There are impact indicators. We've got 33 output indicators that are subject to sanctions. So we don't need any justification from the European Court or Court of Auditors or any agricultural experts.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, We can actually measure the success of the CAP, and anyone who's criticising it might be afraid that at some point you're going to have to move away from your prejudices. Maybe it's going to turn out completely differently to what you might have expected, and at least this way we'll be able to prove it. As far as I'm concerned, that's the greatest progress since the reforms of 92.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, This is a deliver model. It's an evidence based agricultural model. It's more sustainable. 25 percent of direct payments are going into sustainability measures. This is one off. It's never happened. Of course, it could be more. It could always be more. But we first will have to deal with these 25 percent. And obviously that's in the hands of the member states. We realised one size fits all just doesn't work.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, Those colleagues who are criticising it, I think, are full of mistrust for the member states. I'm not, I think, connected to the deliver model. Our member states are in a position to implement this. Well, what I myself am not so happy with is cutting red tape as far as I'm concerned. We have to find solutions and reach compromises. There isn't sufficient cutting of red tape, but I'm going to put my faith in the member states. You have to deliver.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, The member states have to deliver the national strategy plans. The member states decide which measures apply and obviously no one's stopping you making it simpler. So I would hope that the member states compete to cut red tape. So to sum up, I'm urging you, please, in the interests in particular of the European farmers and the security of supply and the interests of the environment.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, I would urge you to vote in favour of the reforms are good, the innovative and as I said, we still got a lot to do at the next reform will do even better. Once again, thank you very much to the cooperation of my colleagues, the staff, and I could see Christoph Hansen in front of me. We've never had an agricultural reform that we've been able to negotiate so closely with the Environment Committee.

SOUNDBITE (German), Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), rapporteur, That's never happened, and I think that's a good for the future. And we've been able to find compromises. Thank you very much. Please vote in favour today. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, Ladies and gentlemen, we have come here together today to take a look at the legislative framework for the Common Agricultural Policy and from 2023 to 2030. 27 Now the proposal on the table is the results of intensive negotiations over months with the council, which I was involved in representing parliament.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, This is more than a step in the right direction for a performance based, more transparent and more effective agricultural policy in Europe. My group and myself, we vote in favour of this proposal. Just to explain today's decision is about 10 million rural farms in the EU and a lot of them small family holdings. 27 national holdings in the member states and people who are in need of legal certainty.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, Rural areas, climate respecting climate conditions and sustainable environmental policies in farming are a priority. But why are we doing this now? Why has it taken us three and a half years since the commission made its initial proposal up until the vote today? The initial proposal well was presented to us eight months too late, so we couldn't vote on it in the last legislative period.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, So I am appealing urgently to the commissioner for the next CAP proposal. Please try and ensure that we get the proposals on the table in due time because as representatives of the people directly elected, we know what works and what doesn't. The COVID 19 pandemic shows us this every day and we know what is going on on the ground in these farms, providing us supplying us with foods and foodstuffs, which are the best and the healthiest ever. So we have to be very careful.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, We have to know exactly what we're talking about. It's something that everybody working in the food sector deserves now. Laying down policies, farm to fork and other strategies are working together in market conditions, putting pressure on our food, secure security and threatening the existence of small farmers. At the same time, agriculture has to move towards a more climate neutral Europe by 2050.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, So I would like to point out that more than half the CO2 emissions from the agri food sectors are due to factors that I haven't got anything to do with farming activities at all. So the new CFP means we want to protect our climate and focus on furthering our farmers. Member states need to be able to adapt to circumstances where one size fits all won't work in rural areas. People need to be involved in what is going on.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, The main crux of the matter is bringing in the new delivery model, bringing in a result orientated control and monitoring system, which is the new is the only real innovative innovation here, and this will bring a success in our national strategic plans. It's slightly different from just playing around with numbers. It's a proper assessment of the needs of the farmers themselves, which will improve legitimacy and for the sector.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, The new system, however, requires an overhaul of the reporting system. We won't be sending in detailed reports to Brussels. Governance will function and as it should. Single audit approach, for example, will be fully improved and implemented. The new performance model will leave member states responsible for their audits, and this will protect EU money.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, We have clear structures in place with clear responsibilities in view of the transparency issue, which we've talked about so much, we've ensured that information about the recipients of funds will be. Made public, I'm sure that this will give more responsibility to the member states and increase transparency and make things easier for the farmers.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, And anyone criticising this proposal within this parliament and outside of this parliament, NGOs and other associations, they must realise one thing that this if you don't agree with this, you want to keep the status quo if you don't vote in favour of this new proposal, and therefore I will vote in favour of this proposal and I will start working on it immediately.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike MÜLLER, rapporteur, This new performance oriented policy will be implemented with a critical eye. And at this point, I would like to thank the shadows, my colleagues and yourself commissioner, as well as the council. I'd like to thank you all for being so cooperative. It wasn't easy, but we did manage to reach a compromise, so I would like to call on all colleagues in this parliament to give your approval to this proposal. Thank you.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), Thank you, president, commissioner, it's my honour to present this text today on the revision of the Common Market Organisation, the economic dimension of the CAP. And this constitutes a significant step forward for the sector, farmers and for consumers. For the first time, for more than 30 years, the CAP reform has led to greater market regulation rather than deregulation.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), We felt it was essential for farmers to be able to achieve a more stable, fairer income during the ecological transition, the green transition. We've had crisis management. We've had an observatory on agricultural markets set up within the European Commission, covering all products necessary, calling for transparency on prices and margins for different stakeholders. We've been monitoring farming stocks very closely to activate safeguard measures.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), We've extended to 2045 authorisations for volume planting, and we know that this is vital for a sector which needs stability in order to move towards greater sustainability. The energy value will have to be indicated on labels, bottles and lists of ingredients so that consumers can be more aware. The alkaline alcohol ization of wines will be made public and there will be full information on protected geographical indications and at the time of placing on the market.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), This information will be made available in order to avoid crises and in order to have a full recognition of value at each point in the chain. So these are the achievements of this report. We've brought together the various different shadow rapporteurs whom I would like to take this opportunity to thank.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), To achieve a reform of the CMO that constitutes a U-turn on 30 years of deregulation, it brings back dignity. It's the CMO reform that will help us rebuild agricultural food sovereignty for the EU. This is a step in the right direction, and it deserves your vote. The problem with this reform is not with the CMO report and the problem with the reform is on the strategic plan report.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), We're going to vote on the CFP today, but will be continuing along the same lines as in the past. It's a budget which will be on the basis of it without taking account of the requests from producers and without taking account of prices and income for farmers. It doesn't make sense in economic terms, it doesn't make sense in budgetary terms, and it doesn't make sense in environmental or social terms.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), Look at the 50 percent increase in grain prices that we've seen over the last six months. Look at the increase in bread prices right across Europe with the new cap will be going along the same lines of giving subsidies to farmers whose income is shooting up. And then we have greenwashing eco schemes being presented as some kind of solution. So yes, we've got social conditionality.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), Yes, from now on, farmers who are not respecting the working conditions of their employees will lose subsidies. That is progress in social terms. That is important, and I recognise the determination of Maria Nornickel and her competence skill in achieving this result. But it's not enough in terms of putting a ceiling on aid, only being optional. We need greater redistribution. We need to ensure that all farmers are right from small family farms are receiving this.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), Multilateral ism is in deep crisis right now. We need to relaunch it. But what are we doing? Instead of doing that, we're defending WTO rules which ban public sector storage, whereas China, India and other countries are continuing with their own protective policies. So we need a true reform of agriculture. It's not fit to purpose for the challenges of the 21st century.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), This draught, which is presented, would constitute a de facto renationalisation of one of the main community policies, and it doesn't make sense in historical terms either. It's an anomaly. We need to face up to these huge challenges that we face in the we have an unstable international environment. If we're going to face up to all of that, we need strategic plans put forward by member states, which makes sense, which validated by the commission and which can go forward.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), But We don't have that. Then we're going to be voting on a reform of the Common Agricultural Policy today, which constitutes more than a third of the EU's budget without knowing what is in those strategic plans, and it will be put to the Commission by the 31st of December 2021. The latest we don't know whether it will be based on the Green Deal, whether it would be in line with the farm to fork strategy voted on last month.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), Initial drafts indicate cause for concern. It's a denial of democracy in the European Parliament once again at the time of voting. We will have no influence on the negotiations between the commission and member states. It's a blank check. We're being asked to sign a blank cheque today and it's not on.

SOUNDBITE (French), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), We have climate challenges, security challenges, food sovereignty challenges, farmers, food, health, biodiversity, climate territories are all linked. We need solutions to meet these challenges, bringing all of these strands together, the 11 million farmers in Europe who are feeding us diseases.

SOUNDBITE (German), Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU, ENVI Committee)

SOUNDBITE (English), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): opening of the joint debate by Peter JAHR (EPP, DE), Ulrike MÜLLER (Renew, DE), Eric ANDRIEU (S&D, FR), rapporteurs, Christophe HANSEN (EPP, LU), and by Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, EU Commissioner for Agriculture

Info

Aprašymas

Related media

Common agricultural policy (CAP)

Common agricultural policy (2019-2020)