The European Commission (EC) has proposed a series of measures to respond to the demonstrations that farmers have called in several member states of the community club in recent weeks and in which the primary sector has protested over issues such as European ecological policies or trade agreements.
Brussels’ proposals in response to the demands of the countryside have been:
Withdraw bill to reduce pesticide use
The president of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, announced last Tuesday that she is going to withdraw the law proposal that proposed binding objectives at the national and European Union (EU) level to reduce by 50% in the entire community club the use and risk of chemical pesticides and the use of the most dangerous pesticides by 2030.Von der Leyen stated in the European Parliament that the law had become “a symbol of polarization” and recalled that it had been rejected by the European Parliament itself in November.
The Member States, co-legislators of the community club together with the European Parliament, had also not been able to make progress on the file.
Given this scenario, the president of the EC assured that she will involve the agricultural sector more in the drafting of a new legislative project to reduce pesticides.
“The Commission could make a new, much more mature proposal, with the involvement of interested parties,” he said.
Repeal of fallow during 2024
The European Commission has also proposed repealing during 2024 the rule that forces farmers to keep part of their arable land fallow, a measure demanded by protesters.
The initiative of the Community Executive will allow EU farmers not to apply this rule throughout the year 2024, retroactively from January 1, and continue receiving direct payments from the Common Agricultural Policy.
Instead of keeping land fallow or unproductive on 4% of arable land, farmers will be able to plant nitrogen-fixing crops (lentils, peas or broad beans) or catch crops on 7% of their arable land.
Safeguards against Ukrainian imports
Demonstrations by farmers emerged months ago in countries close to Ukraine, such as Poland, where they complained that the increase in Ukrainian agri-food imports due to the suspension of tariffs meant competition that they could not face.
In 2022, the community club suspended tariffs on Ukrainian imports to support Kiev against the Russian invasion and has been extending that measure since then.
Last week, Brussels proposed extending it for another year, until June 2025, but introduced safeguards in case one or more countries see their agricultural markets affected.
Reduction of administrative burden
Last Thursday, Von der Leyen announced that the Commission plans to present a proposal in the coming weeks aimed at reducing the administrative burden on farmers.
Strategic dialogue on agriculture
The president of the European Commission announced a strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture last September, but it was launched on January 25.
The objective of the initiative is to listen to the parties in the sector and achieve a consensus on the medium and long term of agriculture and livestock.
Emission cuts without mention of agriculture
This week, the Community Executive proposed that the European Union adopt as a goal for 2040 a “net” cut in CO2 emissions of 90% compared to 1990, but the proposal eliminates direct references to the effort that the agricultural sector will have to make.
Mercosur Earrings
One of the issues that farmers criticize are free trade agreements such as the one that the EU and Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) have yet to conclude, as they consider the arrival of agri-food products to the community club without following compliance as unfair competition. the standards of the Twenty-Seven.
For the moment, the EC assures that the conditions to conclude this pact are not met.
BY: M Attzaz Khan
