Draft general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2022
AGRI opinion
Rapporteur: Pina Picierno
Draft compromise amendments
CA n°1 - paragraph 1
In: 2 (EPP); 3 (Greens); 4 and 5 (ECR); 6 (Renew); 7 and 8 (S&D)
Covered:
To be voted separately: 1 (Greens); 9 (EPP); 10 (Renew); 11 (Greens)
Text proposed by the Rapporteur
Amendments
1. Highlights the importance of transitional
1.
Recalls that under the common
common
agricultural
policy
(CAP)
agricultural policy (CAP)
transitional
measures to bridge the gap to the new legal
rules,
the
European
Agricultural
basis for a strong contribution to the
Guarantee Fund
(EAGF)
and
the
European Green Deal; points at the possible
European Agricultural Fund for Rural
strong repercussions of the negotiated
Development (EAFRD) measures will
compromises on the budget structure;
continue in 2022 under the rules of the
welcomes the reinforcement of the
2014-2020
framework
until
the
European Agricultural Fund for Rural
implementation of the reformed CAP in
Development (EAFRD) by EUR 5,7 billion
2023 [7]; highlights the importance of
from Next Generation EU (NGEU) in 2022;
transitional CAP measures to bridge the gap
highlights that NGEU support is not only
to the new legal basis
while contributing to
essential to the recovery of farmers and rural
the
achievement of the European Green
areas from the impact of the pandemic, but
Deal
objectives [6],
guaranteeing a smooth
also crucial to the Union’s ambitious
and harmonious transition to the new
environmental targets;
provisions [2], giving legal certainty to the
agricultural sector [5] and safeguarding
the legal framework for funding and the
economic stability of European farms [4];
draws attention to the need to bring the
2014-2020 programmes progressively to a
successful closure with the final payments
on
outstanding
commitments
[7];
welcomes the reinforcement of the EAFRD
by EUR 5,7 billion from Next Generation
EU (NGEU) in 2022;
recalls that NGEU
funds will be available as external assigned
revenue not subject to the annual budget
procedure [8]; highlights that NGEU
support
to local actors [5] is not only
essential to the recovery of farmers and rural
areas from the impact of the pandemic, but
1
also crucial to the Union’s ambitious
environmental targets,
the resilience of the
agricultural system in achieving the new
strategic biodiversity and 'farm to fork'
objectives [2] as well as the objectives of
the
Long-Term
Vision
for
the
Development of Rural Areas in the first
phase of its implementation [4]; highlights
therefore the need for a strong EAFRD
and swift operation of the NGEU funds in
2022,
taking
into
account
Union
commitments from that new recovery
instrument [3];
CA n°2 - paragraph 2
In: 12 (Greens); 13 (ECR); 15 (S&D); 17 (EPP)
Covered:
To be voted separately: 14 (EPP); 16 (Greens)
Text proposed by the Rapporteur
Amendments
2.
Highlights the contribution of the
2.
Takes note of the EUR 54 117
European Agricultural Guarantee Fund
million in commitments and EUR 55 859
(EAGF) and EAFRD to the Union objective
million in payments for agriculture; takes
of mainstreaming climate and biodiversity
note of the Council's mandate and the
in the budget 2021-2027; highlights the
absence
of
further
cuts
to
the
preliminary estimates showing that their
Commission's draft budget; nonetheless
contribution to climate mainstreaming
calls for an increase of the budget
reaches over 20 % of the Union target while
considering the amount of challenges that
their
contribution
to
biodiversity
the agri-food sector has faced this year and
mainstreaming represents over 60 % of the
still need to tackle in 2022 [15]; welcomes
Union objective, thus compensating for
the fact that Heading 3 - natural resources
programmes which do not contribute to
and environment - is to provide around
those goals;
half the total budget resources earmarked
for combating climate change in the period
2021-2027; stresses that appropriations
under this heading are earmarked for
investments in a sustainable agricultural
and maritime sector, seeking to ensure safe
and high quality food supplies through the
adoption of updated agricultural and
maritime policy objectives [17]; highlights
the
need for a strong [12] contribution of
the EAGF and EAFRD to
a range of
development objectives including [13] the
mainstreaming
of
climate
and
the
protection of [13] biodiversity in the budget
2021-2027;
highlights the preliminary
2
estimates showing that the EAGF and
EAFRD
contribution
to
climate
mainstreaming reaches over 20 % of the
Union target while their contribution to
biodiversity mainstreaming represents over
60 % of the Union objective, thus
estimated
to compensate [12] for programmes which
do not contribute to those goals;
stresses,
however, the need for these estimates to be
confirmed by accurate tracking of
expenditure;
recalls
the
Union
responsibility to track its biodiversity-
related expenditure to fulfil its reporting
obligations under the Convention on
Biological Diversity;
stresses that a
transparent,
comprehensive
and
meaningful tracking methodology should
be adopted swiftly, and adapted if
necessary during the MFF mid-term
revision, for both climate-related spending
and
biodiversity-related
spending;
highlights that a year 2022 without
adequate climate and biodiversity spending
and reliable tracking risks impeding the
achievement of these targets throughout
the next MFF [12];
CA n°3 - paragraph 3
In: 18 (Renew); 19 (S&D)
Covered:
To be voted separately: 20 (ECR)
Text proposed by the Rapporteur
Amendments
3.
Questions the cost-benefit analysis
3.
Questions the cost-benefit analysis
of the current crisis reserve which has
of the current crisis reserve which has
remained unused despite several demands
remained unused despite several demands
for
support
during
the
COVID-19
for
support
during
the
COVID-19
pandemic;
pandemic;
reiterates its request to use this
reserve in case of possible new markets
disruption or sectorial crisis linked to the
still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic [19];
welcomes the political agreement
to
improve the crisis reserve as reached in
the framework of the CAP reform but
regrets
it has not incorporated more
3
ambitious proposals supported by the
European Parliament [18];
CA n°4 - paragraph 4
In: 21 (EPP); 22 (ECR); 23 and 26 (Renew)
Covered:
To be voted separately: 29 (Greens); 25 and 28 (ECR); 27 (EPP)
Text proposed by the Rapporteur
Amendments
4.
Recalls
that
the
COVID-19
4.
Recalls
that
the
COVID-19
pandemic has emphasised the strategic role
pandemic has emphasised the strategic role
that agriculture plays in avoiding a food
that
the CAP [23] plays in avoiding a food
crisis by providing safe, high-quality food at
crisis by
ensuring [23] safe, high-quality
,
affordable prices; Insists that some of the
nutritious and
varied
[21]
food at
COVID-19 crisis measures supporting
affordable prices;
welcomes the slight
agricultural sectors need to be continued in
increase in demand and appropriations for
2022 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-
agricultural market interventions in the
19 pandemic;
2022 budget over the 2021 budget [21];
insists that some of the COVID-19 crisis
measures supporting agricultural sectors
need to be continued
and provided with
additional funds [22] in 2022 to mitigate
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
and
to steadily reinvigorate rural communities
so as to guarantee medium and long-term
food security [21];
asks the European
commission to implement in the budgetary
year 2022 exceptional measures to help
farmers overcome the Covid-19 crisis,
which has strongly hit some agricultural
sectors, including flowers, wine, cheese
and some meat producers and to do so in
coherence with long term health and
environmental goals of the Farm to Fork;
is of the opinion that the EU should
dedicate for that purpose the margin of 340
million euro that will remain after
assigned revenues [26];
CA n°5 - paragraph 5
In: 30 and 31(ECR); 32 (EPP)
Covered:
4
To be voted separately: 33 and 37 (Renew); 34 (S&D); 35 and 36 (Greens)
Text proposed by the Rapporteur
Amendments
5.
Stresses the necessity to allocate a
5.
Stresses the necessity to allocate a
significant share of the Horizon Europe
significant share of the Horizon Europe
funds to the agri-food sector to support
funds to the agri-food sector to support
research and innovation in food, agriculture
research and innovation in food, agriculture,
and rural development in order to
bioeconomy [32] and rural development in
accommodate
the
ambitions
of
the
order to
improve agricultural productivity
European
Green
Deal;
urges
the
and [30] accommodate the ambitions of the
Commission to ensure that the results reach
European
Green
Deal;
urges
the
farm level; recalls the importance of proper
Commission to ensure that the results reach
advisory services for farmers to integrate
farm level;
calls on the Commission to
state-of-the-art technologies and improve
implement the multi-actor approach in the
the
sector’s
competitiveness
and
Horizon Europe programme in an
sustainability.
effective and practical manner, so that
farmers can hold an appropriate role in
these programmes and can be involved in
the process of design, implementation and
dissemination throughout the life of the
project [30]; recalls the importance of
proper
and accessible
[30]
advisory
services for farmers to integrate state-of-
the-art technologies
and practices [30],
including
cultivation
and
breeding
methods [32], and improve the sector’s
competitiveness and sustainability;
stresses
the need to maintain
efforts for
a
geographical balance between all Member
States as regards access to Horizon Europe
funding [31];
CA n°6 - paragraph 6
In: 24 (Greens); 38 (Renew)
Covered:
To be voted separately:
Text proposed by the Rapporteur
Amendment
6.
Stresses
that
future
food
sovereignty
relies
significantly
on
generational renewal in the agricultural
sector; calls on the Member States to
strengthen existing support measures for
young farmers in 2022 in view of the lack
of generational renewal in farming, which
5
is currently one of European agriculture’s
biggest challenges; c
alls on the Council
and Commission to maintain at least levels
of support for young farmers in the
General Budget 2022; stresses the need to
facilitate access to land and farm
succession as a key prerequisite to enable
young and new farmers to enter the
sector[24]; therefore rejects the reduction
of 5 million euros proposed in the draft
budget for the young farmers' payments
[38].
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