-
.
- Ελληνικά
"Favourable provisions for Cypriot farmers in the context of the simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy"
A positive development for our Cypriot farmers is the recent publication of Regulation 2024/1468 of 14 May 2024, which improves important provisions of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU). Cyprus' contribution has been decisive both in the formulation of the new Regulation and in the effort to have it adopted by the institutions in the context of the consultations with the European Parliament.
The new Regulation significantly simplifies the way the CAP is implemented, making it much easier for both the competent national authorities and farmers, in particular small farmers. It also enables our farmers to further increase their production and thus their agricultural income.
Specifically, the new Regulation provides, inter alia, for the following provisions of benefit to Cyprus:
- Exemption of small farmers with areas of less than 100 decares from controls and sanctions on Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition Standards (GAECs). This exemption will benefit more than 80% of our farmers, while in addition it will significantly reduce the administrative burden for the competent authorities.
- Relieving our farmers' obligations in relation to conditionality, in such a way as to increase farm production and thus farm income without reducing the increased environmental ambition of the CAP. Simply put, the obligation to maintain unproductive land (GAEC 8) is removed and the ability to diversify crops at application level is granted in addition to the ability to rotate the main crop at plot level (GAEC7).
- Implementation of a new eco-scheme to grant retroactive financial support for the year 2024 to those who have maintained non-productive land in accordance with the original content of GAEC8.
- Possibility for temporary derogations from GAECs requirements in extreme cases of adverse weather conditions, including deadlines set out in GAECs.
- Ability to submit two amendments to the CAP Strategic Plan per year (instead of one), allowing for immediate response and handling of issues that arise and require immediate intervention.
Cyprus strongly argued for the inclusion of favourable simplification provisions and submitted constructive proposals for the whole of the new Regulation, while placing particular emphasis on achieving the objective of exempting small farmers from controls and sanctions, as well as the objective of retroactive application of the new eco-scheme.
The upgraded role of Cyprus as Presidency for the year 2024 of EUMED-9, the 9 EU Member States (MS) located in the Mediterranean Sea, contributed to this effort. From the very first moment we used this opportunity by organising regular meetings of the 9 Ministers in order to coordinate the common positions of the 9 MS and increase the negotiating power before the Council. The result of this effort was the adoption of a Joint Communiqué outlining the common demands of the 9 MS.
The adoption of the Joint Communiqué is a strong signal of unity and cooperation among the MED9 member countries, strengthening the voice of these countries to find ways to address common challenges in the agricultural sector, while indicating their willingness for support and solidarity. On the basis of the joint communiqué, the nine Ministers, inter alia, (a) recognise the need for additional actions to reduce the administrative burden and improve the resilience of the agricultural sector, taking into account the specificities and challenges of Mediterranean agriculture, (b) call for the protection of EU sensitive products and geographical indications to be made a priority in future trade agreements of the European Commission with third countries, and stress the need to further strengthen and promote measures
