The 27 ask for "more ambition" from Brussels to appease the farmers' crisis and ask not to focus only on the CAP

Five hundred proposals were on the table this Monday by the Ministers of Agriculture of the 27 while the sector was mobilizing just a few meters from their meeting.. Brussels was dominated by a dissatisfied camp, full of demands and prepared to pressure politicians.. Meanwhile, the heads of the branch talked a lot, but decided little. “We have to take quick and forceful measures,” the Spanish minister, Luis Planas, had warned before the conclave.. But neither speed nor forcefulness, at least for now, although the Belgian minister, David Clarinval, acknowledged that it was “one of the most important summits” at this level in the history of the EU.

What the meeting has served for is for the 27 to ask the European Commission for “more ambition” in its proposals, which have to arrive, say the Member States, “faster”, with the aim of appeasing the crisis of the farmers. Furthermore, the countries demand that the Community Executive not focus only on a possible reform of the CAP because, they warn, the sector's concerns “go further.”

In this scenario, the Council supports modifying the basic regulations of the Common Agricultural Policy, on the BCAM 8 environmental requirements, on fallow lands; BCAM 7 on crop rotation and BCAM 6, with the idea of reducing the bureaucratic burden, one of the main demands of the field. In fact, the Belgian presidency of the Council received a representation of farmers after the summit.

But this is only part of the whole. “All these measures have to do with the CAP, but we must realize that farmers suffer consequences from measures outside the CAP, which is why many countries have asked to also analyze other instruments, such as trade agreements” , said Clarinval, while the Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, considered that “it is better to incentivize than impose” because only with that formula, he said, is it possible for the sector to comply with the Green Deal. However, he did not give dates on when the Commission's proposals for improvement can be made in a closed manner, although he trusts that it will be before the European elections next June.

“We must address the concerns of farmers and I think we are on the right track because we have taken measures to reduce tension,” acknowledged the Polish commissioner, who sees the sector as one that specifically “suffers more” than other workers, given its importance in the dynamics of the EU. Of course, the Belgian presidency insists that violent mobilizations “are counterproductive” for farmers.

And the meeting took place in full progress in Brussels of some 900 tractors that were stationed precisely around the Council building, even with clashes with the police. Throughout the morning, the most important marches took place, with container fires that at times the firefighters and police had to put out.. The firecrackers did not stop ringing as the tractors surrounded the key areas of the center of Brussels, where they already arrived throughout the afternoon of Sunday. This time, unlike last month's mobilizations, they were not concentrated so much in Luxembourg Square as in the surrounding area of Schuman, the area that includes the headquarters of the Council and the Commission.. The first was surrounded, the second served as a reference and meeting point for most of the tractors.. At that location there were some police charges, and the patrols deployed even used tear gas.

The main demands of the sector can be summarized in three: a reduction in bureaucracy, the breakdown of any negotiation with Mercosur for an agreement that, they say, leaves them “unequal” and a review of the CAP to make it more lax in some aspects. The CAP, specifically, is one of the main policies of the European Union. Like monetary policy, the political power of countries in matters of agriculture is transferred by the EU Member States to the European Commission, the institution in charge of building unified guidelines and policies.

It is the oldest policy in the Union, dating back to 1962. The main objectives of the CAP are to unify criteria in terms of agricultural production and distribution, focusing attention on providing affordable, safe and high-quality food to consumers, conserving natural resources and guaranteeing the standard of living of workers in the sector.. Now the new CAP covers until 2027, although later it is not planned to be reformed too much, as it would require reopening arduous negotiations.

Of the total of 390,000 million euros that are included for this item -from 2021-, Spain will receive just over 47,700 million, being therefore the third most benefited country, only behind Germany and France.. It will be channeled into the receipt of 5,000 million euros annually in direct payments and it is expected that around 700,000 Spanish ranchers and farmers will benefit.. At the same time, it gives a lot of weight to the so-called ecoschemes: the series of demands for farmers and ranchers to develop practices that are beneficial to the environment.. They will be a more important leg if possible when it comes to accessing aid. It is expected that these eco-schemes will receive around 25% of the aid that will be managed by each Member State. “A lot of data and little real progress for the good of farmers,” the sector claims in conclusion.