Common agricultural policy CAP: common rules for support schemes for farmers
The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report drafted by Paolo DE CASTRO (S&D, IT) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 establishing common rules for direct support schemes for farmers under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers.
It recommends that the European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading, under the ordinary legislative procedure, should amend the Commission proposal as follows:
Delegated and implementing powers of the Commission: following the recent conclusion of a Common Understanding on practical arrangements for the use of delegated acts (Article 290 TFUE), as well as the conclusion of the procedure on the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers, Members propose an updated version of the legal text, including the wording agreed to by Parliament and Council, as well as with regards to other conditions of the delegation (period of delegation, timeframe for objecting to a delegated act, extension of that period, committee procedure, etc.).
The committee suggests the modification of annexes, formal condition of modifying a non-essential element of the basic act. The Commission may adopt, by means of delegated acts, measures which are both necessary and duly justified to resolve, in an emergency, practical and specific problems.
Implementing acts: the Commission should, by means of implementing acts, approve the granting of certain specific support, decide which Member States fulfil certain conditions regarding suckler cow premium and authorise new Member States to complement, subject to certain conditions, any direct payments. Given the special nature of those acts, the Commission should be empowered to adopt them without the assistance of the Committee for Direct Payments.
Financial discipline mechanism: Members consider that the procedure defined in Article 11 of Regulation 73/2009 (regarding the financial discipline mechanism) may no longer be applied without the involvement of the European Parliament, in light of the Lisbon Treaty provisions on the Common Agricultural Policy and the budgetary procedure. Maintaining Article 11 unchanged - with the Council acting on a proposal from the Commission - would constitute a continuation of the reservation of Council's implementing powers under the former Article 202 EC. However, the report considers that in the new legislative context, this reservation of implementing powers for the Council is no longer justified in the new legislative framework.
Reductions and exclusions in case of non-compliance: Members consider that the Commission’s proposals in this area are insufficient and still involve a need to carry out 100% follow-up on-the-spot checks. The follow-up on-the-spot checks in the cases of minor infringements lead to a significant increase in the number of compulsory on-the-spot checks. Thereby it creates a significant administrative burden. That is why it is important to abolish the obligation to carry out follow-up controls in the cases of minor infringements; this will reduce the administrative burden.