Farmers ‘gain a seat’ at the EU leaders’ table

After weeks of mobilisation across Europe, farmers’ protests have gained a political foothold in the conclusions of the European Council summit on Thursday (1 February) which acknowledged the “concerns raised” by the sector and the “essential role” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The addition of the reference to farmer’s protests to the document was unexpected. It arrived after a meeting of the main Belgian farmers’ organizations FWA, Boerenbond and Copa-Cogeca with the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo and the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Farmers’ organisations had called for derogations to the environmental requirements of the CAP, the EU’s farm subsidy programme, for introducing a stronger system to avoid excessive influx of food commodities imported from Ukraine, and for fair trade rules, ensuring the same environmental and safety production standards between EU farmers and their competitors in partner countries. 

“The European Council discussed the challenges in the agricultural sector and concerns raised by farmers. Recalling the essential role of the Common Agricultural Policy, it calls on the Council and the Commission to take work forward as necessary,” reads the EU leaders’ conclusion after the meeting.

The revision of the EU’s seven-year budget (the Multiannual Financial Framework, or MFF) – one of the main topics of Thursday’s EU summit – implied the slight cut of €1.1 billion from some CAP and cohesion programmes such as the support to the promotion of the agricultural products, Euractiv understands. The national ‘envelopes’, i.e. the subsidies to farmers, will not be affected. 

Von der Leyen’s recognition

“It is fair to say that our farmers have shown remarkable resilience in the face of the recent crisis” and “that many challenges remain,” von der Leyen said, mentioning the “tension on prices on very competitive global market”.

On the CAP, von der Leyen said that its “support is crucial and we know that farmers are making good use of it”. 

Von der Leyen opened to all the issues raised by farmers in the meeting. “We have to defend the legitimate interests of farmers in our trade negotiations in particular” and “ensur[e] a level playing field in terms of standards”, she said.

The reduction of the “administrative burden” is a topic “close to my heart”, continued von der Leyen, recalling the opening of the Strategic Dialogue on the future of agriculture, to develop “a vision and a roadmap, how to reach our common goals” such as “reach[ing] climate neutrality by 2050. 

The Strategic Dialogue, von der Leyen concluded, “will feed in the programme of the next commission and certainly have an influence on the next negotiations on the CAP”.

[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]

Read more with Euractiv

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Several farming groups gathered in the European district of Brussels on Thursday (1 February) to protest against EU agricultural policy, but with very different demands and amid reports of infiltrators causing clashes with police.