MEPs discuss the future of the CAP, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

DANTIN, Michel (EPP, FR)

CAP reform (T)

LE FOLL, Stéphane (S&D, FR)

CAPOULAS SANTOS, Luis Manuel (S&D, PT)

LYON, George (ALDE, UK)

NICULESCU, Rareș-Lucian (EPP, RO)

OLEJNICZAK, Wojciech Michał (S&D, PL)

Future of the CAP: extracts from the meeting

SOUNDBITE (English), George LYON (ALDE, UK), rapporteur, We finally signed off last night during the AGRI committee the final text of the 46 amendments that deals with some of the big issues such as market measures, budget, the issue around pillars, the transfer from historical payments to area payments and various others. So I think we made very good progress, there are still some pieces of work to be done, it is estimated that 485 of the amendments will be dropped if the comprise is agreed in Committee, so that the amount of amendments left somewhere down to around 300.

SOUNDBITE (French), Michel DANTIN (EPP, FR), The EPP the CAP is a symbol of the EU integration and the common aquis, its re-Nationalisation under which ever form would neither be accepted neither wanted. The CAP is the only integrated EU policy, the report presented today with its amendentments confirms clearly that we need a different approach and we support this choice.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Wojciech Micha&#322; OLEJNICZAK (S&amp;D, PL), We wanted to talk about CAP and not dividing it in different pillars and different sectors. We wanted to take a holistic approach and we wanted to specify particular goals which that have to be pursued in terms of both farmers and development of rural areas. And here we should focus more on the coordination of CAP with the Cohesion Policy.

SOUNDBITE (French), St&#233;phane LE FOLL (S&amp;D, FR), Politically speaking I think that the EP has to give a new boost to the CAP, we have got to stress the need for market regulation that what Georges Lyon has done in his report. We have seen the volatility in the past and we have to continue to face up to this volatility. There is going to be price highs and drops and it is going to happen in the future as well so that is the first point. And secondly if we want to have agriculture across the EU then we have to be able to compensate for the natural difficulties.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Luis Manuel CAPOULAS SANTOS (S&amp;D, PT), If we keep them (the market measures) that give a very negative impression for the society, what we need now is that is associated with direct payments. And if market measures are included in the 1st pillar then the citizens are going to think that the payments which are linked to the direct payments of the farmers are to high. So I think that we have to adjust the architecture of the policy, it wouldn't be a substantial change, if we could remove the market measures from the 1st pillar, I think that would help the farmers.

SOUNDBITE (Romanian), Rares-Lucian NICULESCU (EPP, RO), (commentting on the ambitious goals included in the CAP) All of the participants involved in the drafting of the report know very well that there will be a battle on the next budget with the European Commission and the Council.