The draft report on the proposed Regulation on support for rural development presented this week by Mr Capoulas Santos, EP rapporteur, was especially disappointing sector representatives.
The CEETTAR member organizations particularly singled out the lack of corrections to obvious infringement to the principle of free and fair competition. Even if the recital 41 of the proposed
Regulation provides that "[...] EAFRD support is not used in order to distort competition," the announced measures, including articles 18 and 20, are preventing the successful implementation of this principle. By doing so, they create conditions of unequal treatment and neglect of investment opportunities effectively supporting the objectives of competitiveness and sustainability that the Commission has set itself for the CAP 2014-2020.
Gérard Napias, Préesident of CEETTAR and of the French organisation EDT, underlined that “Europe would obviously benefit from a better integration in its objectives and measures of the contribution of the 100,000 agricultural contractors and 500,000 employees to the European agriculture and the rural economic life. "He has explained the positive effects for the CAP : “measures would focus on biggest market share, give a demonstrated multiplier effect for each euro granted, allow the debt reduction of farmers and provide support to young farmers”.
“The CAP cannot link agriculture to the sole farmer anymore” added Klaus Pentzlin, Vice-president of CEETTAR and President of the German organisation BLU. “Agricultural contractors strongly contribute to the competitiveness and sustainability of the European agriculture by providing the farmers highly technical machineries and a qualified staff.”
According to Jan Maris, General Secretary of CEETTAR and Director of the Dutch organisation Cumela : « It is against this consideration that the relevance of the future common agricultural policy can be evaluated. It is not too late for the institutions to make adjustments to recognize and value the contribution of the providers of agricultural services to the agricultural production chain.”
