EU farming future uncertain as spat over subsidies divides consensus
European Union ministers were unable to reach a unanimous agreement on the future of agriculture during a meeting on Monday due to a disagreement over equalizing aid levels among member states. The Belgian Presidency of the EU had hoped to secure approval for the conclusions before Hungary takes over the rotating presidency.
The Romanian delegation’s opposition to the text prevented unanimous approval, with only 25 member states supporting it, Romania voting against, and Slovakia abstaining. The disagreement centered around the Common Agricultural Policy‘s external convergence mechanism, which aims to align payments between member states.
The document was intended to provide guidance for upcoming CAP negotiations and send a message to the next Commission. While not achieving full consensus, the conclusions highlighted the need for a fair distribution of CAP support among member states.
The conclusions emphasized the importance of a competitive agricultural sector and called for a food strategy that ensures sufficient, safe, and sustainable food in the EU. They also recognized farmers’ dissatisfaction with the CAP’s complexity and administrative burden, urging for simplification and national authorities’ role in this process.
Furthermore, the document supported a fair and rules-based trading system and advocated for extending the EU’s production standards to imported products in compliance with WTO rules. The concept of reciprocity standards and the preservation of ecosystems for food security were also addressed in the conclusions.
Overall, the ministers’ conclusions presented a widely supported vision for the future of agriculture, despite not achieving unanimous approval. The Belgian Presidency published the document as “Presidency conclusions” in light of the disagreement among member states.
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John Peterson graduated with a degree in Agricultural Sciences from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His specialization is in sustainable crop production and soil health management. John is passionate about integrating modern technology with traditional farming methods to enhance productivity while preserving the environment. He currently works as a consultant, helping farmers adopt sustainable practices.