Spain sends Brussels a first response to its observations on the CAP

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has sent to the European Commission the document that offers a first response to its observations and in which it advances the main lines on which it will base the formulation of the final version of the plan for the application of the Policy Common Agrarian (PAC) in Spain.

Specifically, the department led by Luis Planas wanted to thank Brussels for the “excellent collaboration with which the work on the strategic plan is being carried out”.

In this way, the text advances some aspects of the complete formal response, the preparation of which the Ministry is currently working on together with the autonomous communities and sectoral organisations, as well as with the technical services of the Directorate General for Agriculture of the European Commission.

Spain appreciates the Commission’s consideration of the plan’s ability to contribute to strengthening the socioeconomic fabric of rural areas and meet the demands of society.

This progress document responds to the letter sent on March 31 by the EC in which it invited the Member States to send, within a period of three weeks, an initial response to their observations on the strategic plans, before make public the observation letters sent to the first 19 countries that have received this communication.

In the answer, Agriculture informs that in the review of the strategic plan, Spain will take into account the new geopolitical context derived from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The strategic plan aims to lay the foundations for the agri-food system to continue to be a strategic sector of the Spanish economy, which is why a more efficient use of the CAP budget has been designed with a triple objective: a more equitable distribution of aid, guarantee compliance with environmental commitments and objectives and activate a set of measures to achieve environmental, economic and social sustainability in the agricultural sector (investments, innovation, training, advice and promotion of generational change and reduction of the gender gap).

With regard to proposing greater ambition in the environmental and climate objectives of the strategic plan, the Department points out that these will be achieved with the combination of the interventions contemplated in it and the establishment of a new regulatory framework that affects relevant areas in this matter.

The environmental commitments are reflected in the dedication of 43% of the direct aid budget to measures related to climate monitoring. The eco-regimes will account for more than 1,100 million euros per year to remunerate farms that adopt beneficial practices for the environment above the conditionality baseline.

Regarding the second pillar, around 50% of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) is oriented towards proposals for environmental and climate purposes.

Agriculture understands that the set of environmental architecture proposed in the strategic plan represents a very significant “positive change” in the different areas observed by the Commission, such as the use of water for irrigation, the fight against erosion and desertification, the reduction of greenhouse effect emissions and the increase in the absorption capacity of sinks or the preservation and promotion of biodiversity and the Natura 2000 Network.

The integration of the measures related to direct aid (first pillar) with the rural development intervention proposals (second pillar) in the different autonomous communities, as well as with the actions financed with the European ‘Next Generation’ funds (Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and Perte Agroalimentario).