S&D welcome the proposal presented today by commissioner Dacian Cioloş as it takes on board many key demands put forward by our group and highlights the farming sector’s potential to protect the environment and create new jobs.
As the CAP budget will be under pressure and the European right pushes for a conservative CAP, S&D want to improve the current policy by re-orienting it towards activities in the interest not only of farmers but also in the interest of the whole society.
The current system of allocating aid to farmers on the basis of their past performances has proven to be inadequate and unfair. S&D believe that a new system based on equity and promotion of activities of general interest is required.
Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos, S&D spokesperson on agriculture, said: "It is very important that the commissioner agreed to introduce criteria to reinforce environmental protection and to put ceilings on payments so that farms with higher employment can benefit. However, employment is not sufficiently considered in a clear explicit way in the communication.
"Regarding the equitable redistribution of payments between member states and farmers, nor do the EC’s enunciated principles find a match in concrete measures."
The Commission’s proposal also enhances the coherence between different EU policies, although S&D believe that the Commission has moved back from a more ambitious and clear plan that was envisioned according to the leaked draft.
Over the last years EU farmers have faced strong competition and price volatility often due to market failures. S&D therefore call on the EC to come forward with a more concrete and innovative proposal on market mechanisms that can be more flexible and efficient than the current safety nets in quickly reacting to the crisis in the sector.
We also want the commissioner to engage in a strong commitment with his fellow commissioners to regulate international trading of agricultural commodities in the financial market to put an end to speculation on basic products and to guarantee proper functioning of the food supply chain.