+33 680 38 14 46
Italy - France agree on a new common policy
Italy
Monday 24 September 2007
On 16-18 September in Oporto (Portugal) the European Agricultural ministers held an informal council during which the French and Italian officials Michel Barnier and Paolo De Castro started talks to consider a new agricultural model for the European Union, simpler and less bureaucratic. That only a few days after the challenge launched by French president Sarkozy to rapidly build a renewed Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).
Ministers Barnier and De Castro seem to agree already on some basic features, in particular on the fact that a new model, most of all the financial terms, should be soon defined - to grant it before the debate about the next European budget in general.
The right occasion could be the French EU’s presidency from 1st July to 31st December 2008.
The Common Agriculture Policy generally receives 43% of the EU budget, however the funds could be re-discussed after the Commission’s proposal to transfer 2 billions of the agricultural budget to the Galileo project, the European satellite system.
“From 2013 we will need a new European policy about agriculture and food, taking into account modern exigencies such as European food sovereignty, international solidarity, territories’ safeguard environment safety and new energies”, declared French minister Barnier. “For 30 years the CAP debate has been subject to the budget; now there is the possibility to deal with it in a different way”.
“It is fundamental to provide a tool for the market regulation useful to everyone”, Italian minister De Castro added. “Therefore it is fundamental to handle this matter at the soonest”.
De Castro also stressed that he is “against the fact that each Country should finance its own agricultural programme: a strict and compulsory co-financing for all the member States could be a right solution to consider”. That could help to provide new resources to the rural development without drastically reducing farmers’ income.
Ministers Barnier and De Castro seem to agree already on some basic features, in particular on the fact that a new model, most of all the financial terms, should be soon defined - to grant it before the debate about the next European budget in general.
The right occasion could be the French EU’s presidency from 1st July to 31st December 2008.
The Common Agriculture Policy generally receives 43% of the EU budget, however the funds could be re-discussed after the Commission’s proposal to transfer 2 billions of the agricultural budget to the Galileo project, the European satellite system.
“From 2013 we will need a new European policy about agriculture and food, taking into account modern exigencies such as European food sovereignty, international solidarity, territories’ safeguard environment safety and new energies”, declared French minister Barnier. “For 30 years the CAP debate has been subject to the budget; now there is the possibility to deal with it in a different way”.
“It is fundamental to provide a tool for the market regulation useful to everyone”, Italian minister De Castro added. “Therefore it is fundamental to handle this matter at the soonest”.
De Castro also stressed that he is “against the fact that each Country should finance its own agricultural programme: a strict and compulsory co-financing for all the member States could be a right solution to consider”. That could help to provide new resources to the rural development without drastically reducing farmers’ income.
