EU agriculture ministers will meet this week to discuss a paper drawn up by the French presidency of the EU that, if supported, would undermine the position of countries anxious to reform the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).
The document, which will be the central subject of a specially convened ministerial meeting on 28 November, offers broad backing for traditional EU policies aimed at maintaining the incomes of European farmers, reflecting a preoccupation of France, which currently occupies the EU presidency.
More liberal member states, including Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK, are likely to contest several key elements contained in the document, which was today submitted to the Special Committee on Agriculture where national experts will discuss the finer details.
Among those is the principle of ‘community preference', a term frequently used by French Minister Michel Barnier and often interpreted as a code word for higher EU tariffs to protect its farmers from international competition.
The liberal bloc is expected to say that EU farm support in all its forms – including tariff barriers and direct farm payments – must be scaled back.
The Commission is likely to say that the principle of ‘community preference' could be maintained through the current system of direct farm support, and should not be pursued by the erection of protectionist barriers.
The text also states that it will be necessary to adapt the CAP in the face of climate change, increasing food safety and health concerns, and the changing economic climate.
