The commission promotes measures in order to calm the farmers
The EU executive has outlined a series of short and medium-term measures to alleviate the administrative challenges faced by farmers, a key source of their discontent. This simplification package, submitted to the Belgian EU presidency on February 22 and reviewed by Euronews, aims to address the grievances expressed by European farmers who have been protesting since the end of the previous year.
These proposals will be deliberated in a special meeting of EU agricultural ministers on February 26, outside of which farmers plan to stage demonstrations. The suggested measures aim to provide farmers with greater flexibility in meeting the stringent green requirements of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), particularly concerning the maintenance of permanent grasslands and minimum soil cover.
The commission also intends to initiate a consultation on the administrative challenges associated with the controversial Nitrates Directive, which triggered protests among farmers in the Netherlands and Ireland in recent years.
Ursula von der Leyen stated, “We are reducing the administrative burden on our farmers to ensure food security for European citizens,” emphasizing the ongoing commitment to simplify agricultural policies at both EU and national levels.
The package includes a proposal for a revised monitoring methodology, utilizing imagery from Europe’s Copernicus satellite system, aiming to cut on-farm visits by national administrations by up to 50%, allowing farmers more time for their primary tasks.
The EU executive anticipates that the simplification package will initiate a consultation process on the delivery of EU farming subsidies, a priority for von der Leyen. The document to agriculture ministers hints at potential changes to the CAP regulations established by EU lawmakers in 2021.
Among the midterm proposals is the consideration of exempting small farms with less than 10 hectares from controls related to the green architecture of EU farming subsidies, affecting 65% of CAP beneficiaries.
To gather input, the commission plans to launch an online survey in March directly targeting farmers, aiming to identify their main concerns regarding EU agriculture and food rules. The survey results will contribute to a detailed analysis of administrative obstacles perceived by farmers, scheduled for publication in Autumn 2024.
