'Let's not compromise the important post-2020 reform of the common agricultural policy with hasty decisions. Let's not sacrifice the quality of the final result to the speed of decisions”. This is the appeal launched by Paolo De Castro, first vice-president of the European Parliament's agriculture commission to the rapporteurs of the three CAP reform proposals presented last June XNUMX by the European Commission and relating to strategic plans, financing and organization common markets of the future common agricultural policy.
“Although I appreciate the incredible work done by the speakers and their teams - explains De Castro - I believe that the stakes are too high and the deadlines are too short (the work of the current European legislature ends at the end of April), to think that the agriculture commission of the EU Parliament can express a common position on 6 March in the light of the 7 amendments presented”.
In particular on the strategic plans relating to the rural world: "there is the danger - says the PC MEP - of sacrificing the quality of the work, to reach a vote that risks giving birth to a very confusing and contradictory text, without leaving the members of the Take the time to duly analyze the implications of each single addition on the rest of the text".
On the common organization of the markets, then, De Castro is keen to underline the "serious concerns of a possible reopening of the results achieved with the Omnibus: a chapter closed just over a year ago with extreme difficulty, and despite the very strong opposition of many within the EU Parliament itself”. "In particular on competition law - he says - many are waiting to reopen the discussion in order to eliminate all the improvements introduced with difficulty in recent months".
"We must absolutely avoid - concludes De Castro - and we will do everything to avoid falling into the renationalisation of the CAP which, in addition to putting numerous companies in difficulty, would diminish the fundamental role of the EU Parliament, the only institution that directly represents our farmers and citizens".
