Difficult decisions ahead – Minister
DIFFICULT discussions lie ahead in the ongoing effort to reach agreement between the European institutions on the future Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said after the collapse of negotiations on a new EU farm programme.
Speaking on Friday after the suspension of three days of negotiations in Brussels. the Minister said: “I am very disappointed that a CAP deal was not achieved this week as, along with my colleagues in the Council of Ministers, I worked incredibly hard to do so.
“The last few days have been very challenging. For its part, the Council has shown a willingness to negotiate and to seek a compromise that will allow the new CAP framework to be finalised.
“Our farmers need this, and time is running short if we are to have it in place by January 2023 – the alternative does not bear thinking about. “However, we must ensure that we deliver a CAP that will have the maximum flexibility for us to make our own decisions,” he said. Referring to the conclusion of the talks, the Minister said: “Unfortunately, it was not possible to reach an accommodation with the European Parliament this week. “It is clear that the two sides remain some distance apart on a range of issues, including conditionality requirements, the targeting of support, including internal convergence and mandatory redistribution of direct payments, ring-fencing and expenditure of eco-scheme funding, and the social dimension.
“These issues are complex and difficult to resolve and will require compromise. It is crucial that we do so, in order to provide the clarity that farmers and member states need about the arrangements that will apply from January 2023.”
The Minister stressed “the need to honour the principle of member state subsidiarity inherent in the original Commission proposals”. He said he will continue to work with all his colleagues at Council of Ministers level “to seek the maximum possible flexibility for member states to implement the new CAP in a way that is most effective and appropriate to their national circumstances”.
“I look forward to the talks resuming at the earliest possible opportunity, and to the European Parliament adopting a constructive and pragmatic approach that will help to achieve an agreement. The road ahead is difficult but we all must get there,” he said.