Copa Vice-President Henri Brichart elected to Chair EU Commission stakeholder group

As preparations intensify on the future CAP, Copa and FNSEA Vice-President Henri Brichart was elected Chairman of the EU Civil Dialogue Group on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Brussels this week for a one year mandate to help steer discussions on the future CAP. 

Speaking after the election, Mr Brichart from France said “The CAP is an essential part of farmers lives. It’s important that we can enter into dialogue with the EU Commission and other stakeholders on the future of it to explain the realities of farming and to ensure that measures are workable”. 

He underlined the importance of farming, saying that agriculture must remain a priority for the EU since it is not only important for food security but also for growth and jobs. “Consumers need to be aware of this”, he said. “It’s a difficult time and farmers need a simple and stable CAP in the future, with application of common rules across the EU. We have many challenges – competitiveness, market volatility, sustainability -  and it’s important to have a CAP that provides solutions rather than problems. We need to reflect on the right tools for the future. Direct payments to farmers under the CAP must continue. We will need to have more tools in the future to help farmers better manage the risks of increasingly volatile markets. More innovation and investment is also essential to help farmers respond to the increasing challenges”, he insisted.
The EU Commission is set to release a public consultation on the CAP post 2020 at the start of February followed by a Communication in Autumn 2017. Legislative proposals are expected in early 2018.  Copa & Cogeca have already began talks on this to ensure that we have a better agriculture sector in the future which is more capable of responding to agricultural crises.

As preparations intensify on the future CAP, Copa and FNSEA Vice-President Henri Brichart was elected Chairman of the EU Civil Dialogue Group on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in Brussels this week for a one year mandate to help steer discussions on the future CAP.
Speaking after the election, Mr Brichart from France said “The CAP is an essential part of farmers lives. It’s important that we can enter into dialogue with the EU Commission and other stakeholders on the future of it to explain the realities of farming and to ensure that measures are workable”. 

He underlined the importance of farming, saying that agriculture must remain a priority for the EU since it is not only important for food security but also for growth and jobs. “Consumers need to be aware of this”, he said. “It’s a difficult time and farmers need a simple and stable CAP in the future, with application of common rules across the EU. We have many challenges – competitiveness, market volatility, sustainability -  and it’s important to have a CAP that provides solutions rather than problems. We need to reflect on the right tools for the future. Direct payments to farmers under the CAP must continue. We will need to have more tools in the future to help farmers better manage the risks of increasingly volatile markets. More innovation and investment is also essential to help farmers respond to the increasing challenges”, he insisted. 

The EU Commission is set to release a public consultation on the CAP post 2020 at the start of February followed by a Communication in Autumn 2017. Legislative proposals are expected in early 2018.  Copa & Cogeca have already began talks on this to ensure that we have a better agriculture sector in the future which is more capable of responding to agricultural crises.