About: direct payments
Hard or soft law: what’s the status of EU sustainable agriculture goals?
With the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Commission wants to make the policy more performance oriented. However, non-binding targets and national leeway might hinder the Commission’s quest to keep track of results.
German agri minister slams Commission over trade agreement sustainability
German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner has urged the European Commission to insist on more consistent sustainability standards when negotiating future free trade agreements with third countries.
German farmers, environmentalists slam current state of eco-schemes
Farmers and environmentalists are calling on Germany to improve the implementation of the green architecture in the Common Agricultural Policy. But between German elections and looming deadlines, it is unclear whether this can be done on time. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Bittersweet budget: what changes for CAP after EU summit deal
The final deal on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) spending that came out of the EU summit in July left a bittersweet taste: the much-feared cuts were not avoided but numbers were improved compared to the Commission's 2018 proposal.
Italy seeks extension of CAP deadlines due to coronavirus
Italy's agriculture minister Teresa Bellanova has asked the European Commission for a postponement of some of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)'s administrative procedures to relieve Italian farmers stricken by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency.
CAP spending faces further €5bn cut in bloc’s budget blueprint
In the latest compromise proposal for the next EU 7-year spending plan, fresh money allocated on the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) were trimmed by €7.5 billion, only partly offset by a €2.5 billion increase in direct payments to farmers.
New UK farming bill guarantees subsidies for 2020
The UK government has introduced new legislation which ensures that farming subsidies will continue to be paid to UK farmers for 2020, during the transition period that will follow the country's departure from the EU on 31 January.
Smaller farms needed to ‘restore the balance’ in EU agriculture, expert says
The issue of soils in Europe demonstrates the problems and shortcomings of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) well. The future of agriculture in the European Union depends on solving them. EURACTIV Poland reports.
European Green Deal vague on pesticides, genetic engineering
The Green Deal presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday (11 December) avoided two controversial agricultural issues: genetic engineering and pesticide limits. EURACTIV Germany 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.
NYT reporting shines a spotlight on CAP delivery model
An investigative report published in the Sunday edition of the New York Times (3 November) highlighted once again the distorting effects of farm aid provided under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which are however intrinsic to its delivery model.
CAP direct payments for farmers ‘free from errors’, EU Auditors say
The lion's share of the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) spending is substantially unaffected by material errors, while a quarter of rural development EU aids are partially wrongly attributed, according to the European Court of Auditors (ECA) last report.
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).
The way agricultural aid is distributed creates inequalities, French court of auditors say
The way agricultural aid is distributed in France is unequal and produces negative effects, the French court of auditors said in a summary judgement. The chamber is calling for changes to how aid is allocated under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), though this is currently not on the agenda. EURACTIV France reports.
Baltic farmers in Brussels to restore CAP’s ‘historical anomaly’
Farmers from the Baltic countries will gather on 13 December in Brussels to call for a fairer distribution of payments in the framework of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
European Court of Auditors criticise plans to reform CAP
The EU auditors have expressed clear criticism of the plans to reform the CAP. They said that the Commission's proposals did not meet the demand for a "more environmentally-friendly and more strongly preformance-based" approach. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Czech farmers clash over proposed CAP subsidies capping
The European Commission’s proposal to cap agricultural payments and provide more support for small farms has divided farmers in the Czech Republic. But there are other issues they should focus on, such as the ageing rural population and the challenges of modern technologies. EURACTIV.cz reports.
Commission throws the ball to EU states on CAP rural development, prioritises direct payments
The European Commission has proposed to cut the budget of the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy by approximately 5%, but has prioritised the direct payments pillar in order to ensure farmers’ income and leave smallholders unaffected.
Commission official: ‘We want to improve CAP’s agro-environment architecture’
The European Commission is "aiming high" in the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), aware of the need to improve its architecture and links with climate and environment policies. But the level of funding that will be available from 2020 is still unknown.
Minister: Romania has benefitted from the CAP, opposes budget cuts
Romania has made significant progress in the past decade thanks to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds and it opposes potential cuts in the post-2020 farming budget, Agriculture Minister Petre Daea told EURACTIV Romania in an interview.
EU agricultural policy incoherent and outdated – report
The Common Agricultural Policy has done a good job of ensuring farm income and food security but it is incoherent, inefficient and outdated, and must be radically overhauled to ensure good value for money in the future, an independent report has found.
Hogan says future CAP will be ‘more ambitious’ on the environment
Phil Hogan, the EU's Agriculture Commissioner, announced that the next CAP will be “more ambitious” in terms of its environmental objectives, by ensuring farmers are on board in greening agriculture through broader use of precision farming techniques.