First draft agreement in Brussels to define the guidelines of the new CAP, the common agricultural policy. The ministers of agriculture of the European Union found it during the night, who had met to finally put the first piece on a very delicate dossier that had been open for two years and which, with the new course of the Commission, based on the Green New Deal, assumes fundamental importance. It is precisely on the ecological change that the core of the agreement was concentrated, which will now have to be ratified by the European Parliament within the first months of 2021 and then enter into force in 2023: in the future, a part of the direct aids (i.e. the 2/ 3 of the total budget) allocated by the CAP to the farmers of the member countries will be linked to the efforts of the latter in terms of environmental sustainability.
Previously this formula was optional and was linked to indirect aid, therefore less preponderant. Now instead green credits will become a larger part of the slice to be divided, above all by the will of Western countries, while those of Central-Eastern Europe were still hesitant, as they fear that their farmers will not take up the challenge and therefore will not access a substantial part of the funds they should be entitled to. So what will be the percentage of aid linked to the green commitment? The German presidency on duty this semester mediated for a compromise of around 20%, which however many countries including Italy judge insufficient, demanding that the percentage be fixed at 30%. In any case, the final objective, for which the pre-agreement reached a few hours ago is valid, is to harmonize the system so that all countries make a uniform contribution to the Green New Deal.
Indeed agriculture contributes significantly to climate change and, in turn, suffers the effects. But in recent decades the European Union's commitment (unfortunately in contrast with what happens in the rest of the world) has already produced significant results: for example, agriculture in 2012 contributed 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from the EU, but in 1990 this percentage was 24%. At the time, a significant reduction in livestock numbers, more efficient use of fertilizers and better management of manure were decisive. Today, however, the challenge is even more ambitious: on 4 March the European Commission adopted a legislative proposal for a European climate law, the Climate Law, setting the goal for the Union to become climate neutral by 2050.
The deal was met with moderate optimism by Massimiliano Giansanti, president of Confagricoltura: “A positive decision in terms of flexibility in the application of the new CAP management model. However, the road to the final agreement is still long and uncertain. The agreement between the ministers, to which Minister Bellanova and the Italian delegation contributed in a decisive way, is the first formal step towards the reform more than two years after the presentation of the Commission's regulation proposals. It now remains to reach the definitive agreement with the European Parliament and, therefore, there remain high margins of uncertainty on the final outcome".
