The process to harmonise direct payments during the CAP transitional period

Subject: The process to harmonise direct payments during the CAP transitional period

At its meeting of 7-8 February 2013 on the subject of direct payments, the European Council agreed to ensure that ‘by 2020 at the latest, all Member States should reach the level of at least EUR 196 per hectare at current prices’. However, the convergence of direct payments has not been achieved yet and is still being pursued.

Despite not having achieved these objectives, the Commission, when preparing its proposal for the so-called CAP transitional regulation, did not mention whether the harmonisation of direct payments would continue in its text. The need to harmonise direct payments has also been discussed on numerous occasions by the European Council in the context of the forthcoming multiannual financial framework.

In this connection:

1. Does the Commission intend to continue the process of external convergence during the transitional period of the CAP?

2. By what year does the Commission plan to fully implement the decision taken at the European Council meeting of 7-8 February 2013?

Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission (23 June 2020)

The Commission proposal for a transitional regulation (1) aims at providing continuity for support to farmers for the transitional period for which the new legislative framework for the common agricultural policy (CAP) is not in place yet.

The proposal fixes the budgetary allocations that will be available to Member States in year 2021 and makes the necessary adaptations to apply the current rules during that year. The proposed allocations for year 2021, including for direct payments, are in line with those of the proposal for the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

The proposal for the continuity of CAP support is dependent on the adoption of the MFF proposal and would need to take into account the allocations adopted in this framework. For the MFF 2021-2027 the Commission has proposed the continuation of the process of convergence of direct payment levels per hectare between Member States as from 2021.

The European Council conclusions of February 2013 on the MFF 2014-2020 included an agreement on the convergence of direct payments, which was an important concession for farmers in the three Baltic States.

That agreement was fully implemented in the form of the pre-allocations to Member States for the relevant years set out in the basic act adopted on 17 December 2013 by the European Parliament and the Council (Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013) (2).

⋅1∙ Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 as regards Proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL laying down certain transitional provisions for the support by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the year 2021 and amending Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 229/2013 and (EU) No 1308/2013 as regards resources and their distribution in respect of the year 2021 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 as regards their resources and application in the year 2021 (COM/2019/581 final). ⋅2∙ OJ L 347, 20.12.2013.