About: common agricultural policy
The battle of numbers that will shape EU’s future
It might not be the sexiest debate but how the EU will look in the next seven years will depend on the outcome of one of the toughest upcoming fights in 2020: the negotiation over the bloc’s next long-term budget.
Environment and climate issues take precedence in new CAP proposal
Climate and environmental problems and their prevention are one of the main elements of the new multiannual EU budget proposed by the European Commission after 2020. The common agricultural policy takes account of them very strongly, and even more so than many other policies. EURACTIV Poland reports.
Finland aims to put €10bn more in CAP’s second pillar
Finland's presidency proposed an EU’s seven-year budget that leaves allocations for direct payments and market measures as they were set up in Common Agricultural Policy's Commission proposal, adding €10 billion of fresh money in the rural development funds.
German farmers will ‘have to declare bankruptcy’ if CAP direct payments are capped
From 2021, the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is intended to be more closely linked to environmental requirements. But this could lead to large conventional farms facing existential threats. EURACTIV Germany reports.
French MPs denounce Commission’s lack of progress on CAP reform
France is beginning to kick up a fuss on the issue of reforming the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is not seeing any progress even though its format is supposed to change from 2021 onwards. EURACTIV France reports.
The CAP has devastating effects on developing countries, report says
The EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) penalises local farmers and harms the environment. It continues to contribute to the injection of palm oil in milk powder, exports of soft wheat to the detriment of local products, as well as to the over-consumption of Latin American soy. EURACTIV France reports.
Bordeaux winegrowers want to leave chemicals behind to save the environment
Fewer chemical inputs tend to make the vine more robust and also ensure the terroir is better expressed in the wine's aroma, according to experts. France's vineyard sector is also interested in new grape varieties that are resistant to heat and disease. EURACTIV France reports.
Agricultural sector should focus on achieving greater yield stability, experts say
Ever since the European Commission presented its proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2021, negotiations have been slow. And there is still no agreement on issues related to the environment or innovation. EURACTIV Germany takes stock of a workshop it organised about these issues on Friday (27 September).
France’s path towards sustainable farming eroded by increased droughts
The intense drought in France has already led to the elimination of fallow fields. It has also created tensions that are not so favourable to the negotiations over the EU's new Common Agricultural Policy. EURACTIV France reports.
German cabinet agrees on plan to ban glyphosate, increase insect protection
The German government wants to protect insects better and completely ban the controversial weedkiller glyphosate by 2023. It also intends to introduce an animal welfare label, and unlock additional funds for CAP measures that are environmentally friendly. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany may have to pay €850,000 per day for exceeding EU nitrate levels
The European Commission criticised Germany for its excess nitrate levels in groundwater. If Germany's environment and agriculture ministries fail to put proposals on the table quickly, high fines could be imposed. But this is not the only warning from Brussels. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU ministers struggle to find a ‘practical’ roadmap for a greener CAP
Although all EU ministers agree on higher climate objectives in the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), they still do not know how to put this environmental ambition into practice.
French MEP: When it comes to the environment, the future CAP is regressive
In an interview with EURACTIV France, French MEP and vice-chair of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group Eric Andrieu spoke about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and highlighted its lack of environmentally-focused provisions.
The environment in the new CAP
Greens have strongly criticised the European Commission for what they say is a lack of concern for the environment in its proposals for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy.
FAO official: ‘Veganism is certainly not for everyone’
Veganism is certainly not for everyone, particularly when it comes to mother and children, as it is deficient in some important minerals and vitamins, Henning Steinfeld, an official from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), told EURACTIV in an interview.
German farmers rely on subsidies, says young female farmer
The number of young people who want to work in agriculture is shrinking. Those who choose farming in Germany have to put up with high acquisition costs, complicated bureaucratic requirements and a modest income. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Farmers launch rallying cry for European elections
"Vote for our future". Copa-Cogeca, the European umbrella organisation of farmers and cooperatives, called on all farmers to vote in the upcoming European elections, spelling out its demands for Europe's future agricultural policy. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Commission calls for bioeconomy strategies to be expanded and implemented
Under the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Commission will not approve the national strategic plan of a member state that does not include the promotion of the bioeconomy in agriculture, the EU's farming Commissioner Phil Hogan said on Thursday (25 April).
Private sector is part of the solution in bioeconomy, experts say
The private sector has a key role to play in promoting bioeconomy in the agrifood sector, high-level experts have told EURACTIV.com. However, they said the risk of depriving the food production system of organic resources must be weighed up.
The bioeconomy in the post-2020 CAP
Over 18 million people across the EU were employed in the bioeconomy in 2015 – mainly in the agriculture, food and beverage sectors, according to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.
Portuguese EU candidates concerned about CAP cuts
The Portuguese candidates for the EU elections from centre-left and left parties PS, PSD, PCP and BE, have voiced concern about the planned budget cuts in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The conservative CDS party criticised the Lisbon government's "tragic inability" to draw on these funds. EURACTIV’s media partner Lusa reports.
‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’, agri-stakeholders tell EU Commission
The involvement of many European Commission’s Directorates-General (DGs) in the post-2020 agricultural policy has raised concerns among stakeholders, who believe it is going to cause delays and throw too much environment into the agricultural mix.
Czech agriculture goes digital as science meets with farmers
Close collaboration between scientists, researchers and farmers has helped agriculture in the Czech Republic to take significant digital steps and increase its competitiveness, analysts told EURACTIV Czech Republic.