MEPs’ divisions may delay farm reform

Date: 18/02/1999

By Myles Neligan

MEPS are struggling to break a deadlock which is threatening to delay implementation of the proposed overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy.

If discussions in the European Parliament's agriculture committee do not yield a compromise which all its members can sign up to, there is little chance that MEPs will be able to deliver their formal opinion on the Agenda 2000 proposals before EU leaders meet in Berlin on 24-25 March to try to reach a final agreement on the reforms. This would prevent whatever changes are agreed by governments from entering into force.

MEPs were originally due to deliver their formal opinion on the Commission's CAP reform plan on 28 January. But serious disagreements over the likely impact of the proposed changes caused unexpected delays. They were only able to reach a partial agreement on moves to slash subsidies for beef, cereal and dairy farmers, and the institution's subsequent rejection of most of their proposed amendments antagonised MEPs further. The full Parliament showed its displeasure by refusing to vote on the Commission's reform blueprint late last month.

"The prospect of a serious delay in the Agenda 2000 project is very real. The onus is now on the Commission to make certain concessions. It will ignore the European Parliament at its peril," warned Irish centre-right MEP Alan Gillis.

But EU officials say continuing divisions between MEPs over key aspects of the reform proposals are more likely to cause further delays than the dispute between the two institutions.

"The deputies are split more or less along national lines. In a sense, the talks within the Parliament's agriculture committee are proving as difficult as the parallel discussions between national governments," said a parliamentary spokesman.

MEPs are split into two broad groups, with those from northern countries favouring a radical cut in agricultural subsidies while their southern counterparts are calling for a softer landing for EU farmers.

The fundamental question of how the CAP will be financed has caused particularly deep splits. German and Dutch Euro MPs have enthusiastically supported moves to shift part of the financial burden back on to governments. But Spanish and French members insist that the CAP must continue to be financed entirely from EU coffers to ensure governments do not start varying the level of some agricultural subsidies according to national criteria. "Co-financing of the CAP will cause more problems than it will solve," said Spanish Socialist MEP Juan Colino Salamanca.

Members of the Parliament's agriculture committee were meeting again today (18 February) to try to put together a compromise package to be presented to the institution's plenary in Brussels next Wednesday (24 February).

But Gillis doubted the March deadline set by EU leaders for a deal would be met.