Ref. Ares(2018)5561837 - 30/10/2018
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
SECRETARIAT-GENERAL
Directorate D
SG-D-3 – Resource Efficiency
Brussels, 10 November 2017
SI(2017) 530
NOTE TO MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION
Subject:
Meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA)
Brussels, 6 November 2017 - Summary record
The only item on the agenda was the discussion on the OMNIBUS proposal, based on a
request from MS to discuss the next steps after the agreement on the agricultural part at the
trilogue on 12 October. Against the need to enforce some provisions as from the 1st of January
2018 and the delays on the overall package, MS confirmed their agreement for the compromise
reached and their support to authorize the sending of the offer letter by the SCA Chair to the
COMAGRI Chair to secure a first-reading agreement (subject to the approval of the Permanent
representatives committee, Part II, in the following weeks).
[signed]
Further information:
1.
Adoption of the agenda
2.
Summary record of the 1560th meeting of the SCA
13568/17 CRS CSA 20
3.
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on
the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and
amending Regulation (EC) No 2012/2002, Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013,
(EU) 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, EU No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1305/2013,
(EU) No 1306/2013, (EU) No 1307/2013, (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) No
1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014,(EU) No 283/2014, (EU) No
652/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Decision No
541/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (Omnibus
proposal) (First reading)
Interinstitutional file: 2016/0282 (COD)
– Confirmation of the final compromise text with a view to agreement
Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
Office: L130 - Tel. direct line
The Presidency convened an extraordinary session of the SCA in order to comply
with delegations' request to take all possible steps to ensure that the changes to the
CAP basic acts agreed at the trilogue on 12 October can apply from 1 January 2018.
After discussions within the Council and with the European Parliament and the
Commission, the Presidency announced that it had concluded that there could be a
need for splitting the Omnibus proposal to make the agricultural provisions a
freestanding proposal.
Therefore, the Presidency asked the delegates' confirmation of their approval of the
overall compromise package, and requested their agreement in principle to authorize
the sending of the offer letter by the SCA Chair to the COMAGRI Chair to secure a
first-reading agreement (subject to the approval of the Permanent representatives
committee, Part II, in the following weeks).
The Presidency specified that the text to be annexed to the offer letter appears in
document 13819/17 and that the amendments to the CAP basic acts are identical to
the revised consolidated texts circulated on 24 October, with subsequent changes
being a question of form and technical drafting, not substance.
In its reaction, the Commission announced it would not act out of its own initiative,
but only respond to a clear wish expressed by the legislators to have agricultural part
of the proposal enter into force on 01/01/2018. The Commission also requested all
three institutions to work in parallel and announced it would endeavour to come to a
position as soon as possible as requested by the Presidency.
In the ensuing debate, almost all MS (
,
) supported explicitly the
Presidency’s intention to obtain from CORPER II the agreement on splitting the
agricultural part from the other Omnibus components with a view to adopting it as a
self-standing regulation that could enter into force on 1 January 2018.
specified
their agreement relates to the relevant text as it stands now (confirmed by the
Presidency). The Presidency also confirmed the Commission explanations on control
of ploughing made during the 1559th meeting of the Special Committee on
Agriculture (SCA) held in Brussels on 16th October 2017 still stand today and have
been recorded as annex to the official Summary Record of the meeting.
Only
and
did not yet express unambiguous views. While
approves the final text, it reserves its position regarding the splitting option, as this is
a COREPER II prerogative.
announced it would abstain during the vote and
leave the splitting option to the COREPER II. Also
confirmed it would abstain
during the vote but announced it would support the split.
announced it supported
the Presidency approach but did not want to constitute a precedent. The latter was
confirmed by the Presidency.
announced it has no objection in principle but reserved its final position until it
was able to discuss the implementation of the new rules (and in particular the
greening provisions) with the Commission services.
In its conclusion the Presidency noted that:
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a) no MS was opposed to the agreement on the compromise package which received
support at the SCA meeting of 16 October 2017 in the form of the free-standing
regulation set out in document 13819/17;
b) the SCA confirmed its support for the next steps proposed, namely that, subject to
the approval of the split by the Permanent Representatives Committee (Part II), the
SCA Chair will write to the Chair of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural
Development of the EP, informing him that, should the EP adopt its position at first
reading, in accordance with Article 294(3) TFEU, in the form set out in that
document (which would be annexed to the letter), and subject to revision by the legal
linguists of both institutions, the Council would, in accordance with Article 294(4)
TFEU, approve the EP's position and the act would be adopted in the wording which
corresponds to the EP's position.
The Presidency also noted that the Commission is not ready yet to take a position and
appealed for the Commission to ensure a position ahead of the Coreper II meeting,
otherwise Art 293 TFEU would apply (unanimity within Council). Finally the
Presidency requested the delegations to brief their ambassadors thoroughly ahead of
the COREPER II meeting.
4.
Organisation of future work
The Presidency reminded the Member States’ agricultural attachés of its invitation to
visit to the EIB in Luxembourg on 23/11 and requested to let them know by 12/11 if they
would like to participate.
Reporting:
, DG AGRI, Unit I.5 Tel.:
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