“Hungary has great expectations with regard to future negotiations on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Government is willing to contribute to the creation of a new CAP which is favourable to all European agricultural producers, and to all citizens across the EU through the high quality and healthy foods they produce”, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Minister of State for Public Administration Andrea Gulyás said following a session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 11 December in Brussels.
In its Communication published on 29 November, the European Commission set down its preliminary plans for the post-2020 CAP. The most significant difference in comparison to the current system could be a new system for the distribution of funds (the so called New Delivery Model) in which the EU would only determine the general directions of the policy, while Member States would have greater flexibility and responsibility with regard to methods for implementing the goals set at EU level. According to the Communication, Member States would establish a CAP strategic plan, which would then be approved by the Commission. This would ensure that the CAP contributes to the realisation of EU objectives and to the environmental and climate-related objectives set by Member States.
“It is particularly important from the Hungarian perspective that the Commission intends to maintain the two-pillar structure of the CAP and the direct payments which play an essential role in ensuring farmers’ income. At the Council meeting Hungary has strongly opposed to introducing new objectives which are independent from agriculture, such as migration. According to our opinion CAP is not the right place to handle this issue. Hungary considers that farmers should receive CAP subsidies. In addition there are some open issues to be clarified on a later stage. We have outlined them to the Commission”, the Minister of State said.
Ms. Gulyás stressed that the New Delivery Model would give Member States greater room for manoeuvre, but there is a danger that this could result in the re-nationalisation of the CAP.
EU Agricultural Ministers will continue the debate in January 2018 under the upcoming Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The European Commission is expected to publish its legislative proposals in June next year.
