"Disappointing and not suitable for grandchildren": Miesbach's moral courage criticizes EU agricultural reform

The civil courage Miesbach alliance is deeply disappointed by the compromise of the EU bodies on the reform of EU agricultural policy from 2020. But there is still hope.

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- Green miracles were not to be expected anyway, writes the civil courage action alliance Miesbach on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU).

But it got even worse.

The compromise now worked out by the EU Commission and Parliament remains “far below the expectations” of all those who have fought for more ambitious climate and environmental targets in the CAP.

The judgment of the civil courage Miesbach is downright devastating: In a press release, the action alliance criticizes the resolutions as “disappointing and not suitable for grandchildren”.

A compromise that one cannot live with under any circumstances.

As reported, civil courage called for a fundamental reform of the EU funding policy in agriculture as early as August 2018 and also asked politicians from different parties to give their opinion.

In their position paper, the initiators called for an end to the “unjust distribution” of agricultural subsidies from 2020 onwards.

Payouts are "to be tied exclusively to ecological and regional cultural services".

The EU itself had also set itself quite ambitious goals.

With the master plan of a “Green Deal”, more attention should be paid to the climate.

The compromise reached with parliament on October 23rd did not do justice to all of this, writes the civil courage.

70 percent of the direct payments to farmers are still not linked to conditions.

From 2023, only 30 percent are reserved for services that go beyond normal EU standards.

And this despite the fact that the agriculture budget is the largest single item in the EU budget with 387 billion euros.

A result that, according to civil courage, clearly misses the demands of representatives of organic farming, but also of numerous agricultural politicians.

“You can't get rid of the feeling that overpowering lobbyists have prevented a real change in the CAP.

It is not understandable why science - unlike the corona pandemic - receives so little attention in politics in this area.

Only recently, the national Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina, called for a “completely new direction in agricultural policy” in order to master the challenges of biodiversity and climate protection.

“Apparently, when it comes to sustainable agriculture, neither in Berlin nor in Brussels does one listen to science.

The GAP is about very fundamental things such as nutrition, the protection of livelihoods and thus “our common good”.

Despite all the criticism, the moral courage can at least give a little hope that some decisions will be corrected.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the Commission will be a “driving force for more sustainability” in the “trialogue” with the Council and Parliament.

A total of six rounds should take place under the German presidency by Christmas.

The conclusion is to take place between Easter and Pentecost - and thus already under the Portuguese presidency.

It remains to be seen what the outcome will be.

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