Seven member states of the EU are calling for the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to be revisited in order to “accelerate” external convergence.
External convergence refers to the convergence of CAP direct payments between member states, based on each states average payment per hectare relative to the EU average payment per hectare.
It is distinct from internal convergence, which refers to convergence of direct payments between recipients within a state, based on payments per hectare relative to the national average.
The delegation of Slovakia to the Council of the EU recently submitted a document to the council saying that the external convergence was not likely to be fully achieved by 2027 (the final year of the current CAP programme), and calling for discussions on CAP to be reopened to bring it about.
Slovakia submitted the document on behalf of itself and Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
The document says that external convergence plays an important role in “ensuring fair, sustainable and competitive agriculture in the EU”.
“Despite the ambitions of past revisions of the CAP, it has not been possible to arrive to a fair distribution of CAP support in the form of direct payments to all European farmers. Even in 2027, direct payments per hectare in some member states will not reach 90% of the EU average,” it added.
“We therefore call for the reopening of discussions to accelerate full external convergence across member states.”
The seven countries said that efforts are needed to reduce the gaps in direct payments per hectare, as payments contribute to food security; the fight against climate change; and protection of biodiversity and natural resources.
Direct payments also contribute to the maintenance of agricultural activity in all geographical areas, as well as addressing the challenges of maintaining jobs in rural areas, generational renewal, and rural depopulation, the document said.
“Historical indicators that have determined originally the level of payments are becoming less important in the context of [the] changing agricultural landscape and changing economic conditions,” it added.
“We cannot deny that the CAP is a primary policy contributing to the development of the agri-food and forestry sector and also to achieving the aims of the European Green Deal.
“On the other hand, EU farmers need a level playing field and a fair approach in achieving high production standards and sustainable food systems, while taking into the account the social dimension,” the document said.
The seven countries said that full external convergence is a “strategic step that will not only contribute to to the resilience of our agricultural sector, but also strengthen the unity and cohesion of the EU”.
The seven member states called on the European Commission to assess the impact of “persistent divergence” of direct payments on EU farmers in relation to the challenges they are facing.