The European Union is trying to address critical issues to access funds in the agricultural sector, to simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the bloc and help farmers, during a time of increased dissatisfaction with European policies.
The simplification is part of a general push to achieve at least a 25% reduction in administrative burdens in all productive sectors. For farming, the Commission calculate that this first package of interventions can save up to €1.6 billion annually for farmers by making processes easier to access and quicker. As Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification, said, “we need to support Europe’s farmers with rules that are simpler, more proportionate, and better tailored to their needs.”
The Commission will raise the annual disbursement limit for financial help to €2,500, making it faster and easier to access money. The plan is also to work with the national governments in order to speed up processes and avoid farmers being left alone, without overlapping various legislations. Member states will have more flexibility in adapting the CAP Strategic Plans after the Commission’s approval. They are also encouraged to work on further digitalisation, with a new system that will require farmers to submit their data only once instead of multiple times, as it is currently.
Another measure taken will see exemption for specific environmental targets, a much maligned measure among farmers, switched to incentives for those participating voluntarily in environmentally friendly schemes. Certified organic farms will already qualify for funding linked with eco-targets, a measure that will reduce red tape.
Slashing bureaucracy is also the reasoning behind easier and more flexible payment access in case of natural disasters or animal diseases, ensuring a stronger EU presence in crisis situations.
“We are bringing back pragmatism in the Common Agricultural Policy. Our proposals today strike a balance between the need to have a policy fit for the realities on the ground while safeguarding a certain stability for all agricultural stakeholders,” commented Christophe Hansen, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food.
