Faced with mobilizations in several countries, the European Commission proposed, in mid-March, to review part of the environmental criteria of the common agricultural policy revised in 2023.
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On Wednesday April 24, the European Parliament approved a revision of the common agricultural policy (CAP) in order to appease the anger of the sector. These measures, voted on under an emergency procedure, were approved by a large majority (425 votes for, 130 against and 33 abstentions) during the very last plenary session of Parliament, a few weeks before the June elections. .
To the great dismay of environmental NGOs, the European Commission proposed in mid-March to relax or even remove part of the environmental criteria that the new CAP had imposed on farms since 2023. These legislative revisions, demanded by the Twenty-Seven after demonstrations by the agricultural world, were ratified by the member states without substantial change.
“This initiative undermines EU strategies” for the climate
MEPs approved the text, which completely removes the obligation to leave at least 4% of arable land fallow or non-productive areas (hedges, groves, ponds, etc.), much criticized by agricultural organizations. The crop rotation obligation could be replaced by a simple “diversification”. In the event of extreme climatic episodes, exemptions are possible to avoid penalties, and farms of less than 10 hectares will be exempt from controls and sanctions linked to environmental rules.
At the end of the vote, the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, welcomed on “an important step and much awaited by French and European farmers”emphasizing that Paris had been “at the forefront of the fight for the simplification of European rules”.
“This initiative undermines EU strategies on climate, biodiversity and soil protection”, on the other hand deplored the environmentalist MEP Benoît Biteau. In a statement, he stressed that“no significant measure is envisaged to improve the income of farmers. After its formal approval by the European Council, the law will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force immediately.