The obstacle course for the new European agricultural policy is over. Perhaps. If by next 30 October the European Parliament does not approve the 2021-2027 budget and if the main points of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are not defined, the reform will enter into force in 2023. Therefore no longer in 2021, as established with previous extensions, but in 30 months from July. A useful period of time to come to an agreement and counter sovereign pushes even in this delicate sector. A time in which production strategies, quantities and above all the sustainability of virtuous agri-food chains will have to be studied in depth. The decision was taken by the Agriculture Commission of the EU Parliament which also asked for the creation of an anti-crisis fund of over 400 million euros. Money to be added to the ordinary allocations after the disaster caused by the coronavirus in the countryside across Europe. Money, in particular, is non-returnable.
The CAP is one of the pillars of the Union, but since 2019 it has been managed with transitional regulations. Political acts that periodically show limits, economic suffering and negotiating marathons. Thus we are witnessing inevitable negotiations between ministers with repercussions on the two most important bets in the agricultural world: quality and production. The extension decided in the Commission, however, will have to be approved by the European Council by 30 June.
The new application deadline will allow individual countries to maintain the spending ceilings established for this year. A good news. For the next two we will no longer hear about the cuts hypothesized in the revision phase of the CAP. For Italy it is a new opportunity to support - after the coronavirus pandemic - organic and eco-sustainable productions. Our agriculture has begun a journey of excellence by defending Made in Italy in international forums. The pandemic has touched so many raw nerves that only good political decisions can heal. We don't know how much we feared or hoped for, but postponement can be very productive
"The Commission has decided to postpone the reform, to extend the current European funds avoiding cuts in the CAP budget, to strengthen the tools to deal with business risks and market crises, such as the one generated by the coronavirus emergency", he said Paolo De Castro Pd MEP and coordinator of the Socialists and Democrats within the Agriculture Commission. “Eventually we will have more time to work on a better CAP,” he added. The greater margin of time, in the end, avoids the sort of rationalization of agriculture so dear to nationalist governments. Europe cannot be built by damaging indigenous products or by setting limits and prohibitions. In Italy, sustainable agriculture processes are closely linked to sustainable energies, the limitation of pesticides, the growth of bioenergy.
For this year, the 144 million of direct payments to agricultural enterprises and the 230 for rural development remain valid. Other comforting news concerns the extension until 2021 of the direct payments assigned to farmers before 2020 January 2021 and the possibility for the fruit and vegetable sector to review the programs presented beyond XNUMX. Two and a half years to count the obstacles that have fallen.
