Gemeenschappelijk landbouwbeleid aangenomen - een historisch moment (en)

On December 16 at the EU Agricultural and Fisheries Council Lithuania achieved one of its most significant Presidency’s goals - formal adoption of the agreement on the Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the transitional measures for the year 2014. The agreement was accomplished after three years of intensive discussions and negotiations among the EU member states and the EU institutions.

“Taking forward this reform has been quite challenging. For the first time, 28 Member States were involved, each of them with their own farm structures and different agronomic conditions. We firmly believe that the result is balanced: we have maintained a robust common EU framework, which responds to farmers' needs,” noted Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture Prof. Vigilijus Jukna.

The majority of new CAP provisions will be applicable as of 1 January 2015. To bridge the gap between the current provisions and the reformed CAP, the transitional measures for the year 2014 will be in place, which stipulate technical arrangements for a smooth transition from the current to the new legal framework. At the same time such measures aim to ensure the continuity of the various forms of support under the CAP.

“After reaching the political agreement on this important issue at the end of October, our objective was to avoid any legal and financial vacuum, which could have caused serious problems to both farmers and administrative institutions. The Common Agricultural Policy will continue to be a vital Union policy, allowing us to maintain a sustainable, productive and competitive agricultural sector, and a thriving countryside across the Union,” said prof. V. Jukna.

On December 17 the Lithuanian Minister of Agriculture Prof. Vigilijus Jukna will officially sign the CAP reform with participation of the colleagues from Poland, Denmark, Cyprus, Ireland who contributed a lot to finalization of CAP.