The Committee of the Regions proposes a fairer and more ambitious CAP

• The need to maintain an ambitious budget capable of dealing with issues such as food security, sustainability, the competitiveness of all forms of farming and balanced development of rural areas;

• More flexible greening measures;

• Maintaining coupled support, especially in fragile areas;

• Introducing thematic rural development sub-programmes to promote products with official labels indicating quality and agricultural produce from peri-urban areas;

• Support for agricultural research and innovation, setting aside 10% of funds under the CAP's second pillar for this priority.

• The need for public regulation of agricultural markets. The CoR calls for previous decisions on the removal of milk and sugar quotas to be reassessed, as well as planting rights in the wine sector;

• The gradual convergence of direct support at European level, in order to ensure greater fairness in the way in which support is distributed, taking account of the economic situation of farms;

• Reduction of the degressivity threshold to EUR 100 000, with a cap of EUR 200 000;

• A greater effort to promote areas with a permanent natural handicap, by setting aside up to 10% of funds under the CAP's first pillar

CoR members also call for the CAP to be rolled out as closely as possible to the regional level:

• A bigger role for local and regional authorities in implementing the CAP within the framework of multilevel governance – European, national, regional – in order to take account of the diversity of European regions;

• Involving local and regional authorities in establishing partnership contracts between the EU and Member States;

• The possibility of introducing greening at the regional level so that it can be tailored to local agricultural, environmental and socio-economic realities on the ground, within the framework of territorial contracts drawn up in consultation with farmers;

• Implementation of a European rural development strategy, taking account of the diversity of all rural areas.

The adopted opinion must now be sent to the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament which will continue to study the legislative proposals.

Furthermore, the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, which had heard Mr Souchon's views on 29 February, stated that it was very interested in the strategies proposed in his working document and invited him to come back to present the finalised opinion. The rapporteur should therefore present the CoR opinion at a forthcoming meeting of the Parliamentary committee. The Committee would probably not adopt the reports before the autumn, and by January at the earliest, at the first reading of the European Parliament's plenary session, following the agreement on the multiannual financial framework expected in December.

• Opinion on the Legislative proposals on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and Rural Development Policy post-2013

 Visit the CoR's website at www.cor.europa.eu

The Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions is the EU's assembly of regional and local representatives. The mission of its 344 members from all 27 EU Member States is to involve regional and local authorities and the communities they represent in the EU's decision-making process and to inform them about EU policies. The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council are obliged to consult the Committee in policy areas affecting regions and cities. It can appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers.