Policy Memo 42 European Funds for Agriculture, August 2013, Authors: Lucian Luca.
The CAP reform after 2013 under the 1st Pillar, as set out in the European Commission legal proposal, aimed at (and, to a large extent, managed to reach) two major goals:
– more equitable direct payments (payment convergence between and within Member States, including through redistribution);
– a greater focus on sustainable development (by subsidising climate and environment friendly farming practices).
These are doubled by more flexibility concerning the instruments for implementing direct payments, by introducing national options, in the attempt to cover a wide range of specificities proper to the agricultural context of each Member State, especially the differences between various agricultural structures.
Whereas just as in the past the legislative initiative rested only with the European Commission, this time the reform process underway was influenced by the codecision procedure involving the EU Council and the European Parliament, according to which the Council had to take into account the Parliament’s position during the public debate of the legal proposals. Thus, the political compromise found following the negotiations in June 2013 has been attained through a „trialogue” between the Commission, the Council and the Parliament, and at times, when needed also under the influence of the conclusions of the European Council held in February 2013.
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