"CAP sur la PAC 2020" conference: discussions on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Nearly 300 participants were thus able to hold talks around three thematic round tables, with, in between, keynote speeches delivered by the European ministers in attendance.
Stéphane Travert reiterated his support for the current CAP's development into an ambitious political project that is fully capable of tackling the challenges facing the European Union (EU) today:
- Stimulating the development of agricultural and agrifood businesses, by ensuring a "fair price" for producers, promoting food chain organisation and adapting the rules and systems to match the specific characteristics of each sector.
- Enhancing the value of environmental services provided by agriculture and supporting climate, energy and territorial transitions, by encouraging the transformation of production practices and systems.
- Managing hazards and empowering actors.
The Minister stressed the importance of not pitting agricultural models against each other and the need to implement tools tailored to the diversity of European models – without underestimating the difficulty involved in achieving this.
We are going to have to strike the right balance between common and specific objectives, global and local models, widely applicable systems and locally applicable measures.
Stéphane Travert also reminded participants that the CAP needs to be simplified, to make it clear and understandable to everyone, its beneficiaries and European citizens alike.
He underscored France's position as to the requirement for a strong budget to underpin the future CAP and clearly stated his opposition to the introduction of national co-funding to support the basic income of smallholder farmers in the context of direct payments. The same applies for the financing of crisis management and tools that provide payment for environmental performance and support the ecological transition of systems, "since meeting our common environmental objectives must not be dependent upon Member States' ability to carry out dedicated financing," he maintained.
Finally, Stéphane Travert encouraged all stakeholders to carry on the work initiated at this conference, with a view to reaching a political compromise ahead of the 2019 European elections for the sake of providing its beneficiaries with a stable, coherent framework, both in financial terms and as regards the tools to be harnessed.
