On agriculture, European states dodge uncomfortable questions | EUROtoday
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Sn ready for the prescriptions of the European Commission, the 27 Ministers of Agriculture drew up, Monday December 9, their very own imaginative and prescient of the way forward for the widespread agricultural coverage. Exit the inexperienced sermons of the Timmermans period, the champion of the Green Deal. Make approach for language that smacks of pragmatism.
First sweep: the Kafkaesque purple tape which suffocates farmers and administrations. The ministers have visibly heard the cry of alarm from the countryside, asphyxiated below the varieties and finicky controls. “Simplification” is now not wishful considering however is changing into the important thing phrase.
The carrot moderately than the stick
Second revolution: the carrot moderately than the stick for the ecological transition. If the local weather goals will not be thrown out the window, the Council now prefers to seduce moderately than constrain. Sweeter music to the ears of farmers, scalded by years of inexperienced injunctions falling from the Brussels sky.
Faced with accumulating storms – floods, drought, curler coaster markets – States need to step up their sport. More flexibility to handle emergencies, anti-risk instruments which can be simpler to mobilize… The slogan is evident: extra farmers won’t ever be left alone for too lengthy within the face of squalls. But behind these good intentions hides an elephant within the hall: what European agriculture for tomorrow? The Council actually sings the hymn to household farms, “the jewel of our agricultural model”, however how can we defend these little thumbs within the face of the agribusiness giants who’re displaying up?
Ukraine, this sword of Damocles
Because on the horizon looms a juggernaut: Ukraine and its XXL farms. The common measurement of a farm there’s 1,300 hectares, in comparison with 69 hectares in France. With 32.5 million hectares of arable land, Ukraine represents double the floor space of arable land of France, together with 60% chernozim, or “black earth”, a kind of soil wealthy in humus and notably fertile . A prospect that provides French sectors a chilly sweat. How can we combine this agricultural colossus with out breaking the CAP piggy financial institution? On this puzzle, ministers and commissioners favor to kick in, paying lip service to a “fair distribution” of support.
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Kangaroo of the day
Answer
Same awkward silence on Mercosur-style free commerce agreements. How to mix carp from small European farms and rabbit from South American mega-farms? The Council, visibly divided, prefers to look elsewhere.
The ball is now within the court docket of the brand new Luxembourg Commissioner Hansen. He promised a imaginative and prescient for the way forward for agriculture inside 100 days, earlier than the massive legislative marathon of the longer term CAP. But the true poker sport shall be performed on the price range. Indeed, if the Council appears to be like kindly to farmers, it’s cautious to not promise something on the pockets facet. Today’s superb phrases might effectively crash tomorrow towards the wall of budgetary realities… With all the opposite priorities to finance: digital, decarbonization, protection, synthetic intelligence, biotech…
https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/sur-l-agriculture-les-etats-europeens-esquivent-les-questions-qui-derangent-12-12-2024-2577762_24.php