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On Friday, 12 April, Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis, Chairman of the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee of the Saeima; Saulius Bucevičius, Chairman of the Committee on Rural Affairs of the Seimas; and Kalvi Kõva, Chairman of the Rural Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, signed a declaration on the joint position of the Baltic States regarding reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union.

“A year ago we realised that the agricultural committees of the parliaments of the Baltic States had never met during the past 20 years. It is a well-known fact that currently Latvia receives the lowest level of direct payments in the EU. Last year we had our first meeting in Estonia during which we adopted a declaration calling for fairer direct payments. This year we invited our Estonian and Lithuanian colleagues to Riga, and we signed a declaration on our joint position; that is another step towards a more unified position of the Baltic States in negotiations with the EU which, in turn, will help us attain better conditions for our countries in the agricultural, as well as other sectors,” Dombrovskis commented after the signing of the declaration.

“Soon it will be ten years since we joined the EU. We have learned and understood a lot since then. One of the lessons learned is that each of us has only one voice,” the Chairman of the Saeima Committee emphasised, pointing to the different interests of the EU member states, especially regarding direct payments in agriculture.

In the final phase of the negotiations on the future CAP, with their joint declaration the parliamentarians of the Baltic States invite the European Parliament, European Commission and EU member states to establish a CAP that would ensure genuine development of rural areas by providing adequate funding for both direct payments and the rural development policy, to set fair and equitable competition conditions for all farmers of the EU, and to ensure that direct support from the CAP is targeted at active farmers who provide society with real agricultural products.

Furthermore, the declaration calls for facilitating cultivation of agricultural land currently abandoned in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, introduction of a “greening” component into the direct payments regime by respecting existing contributions to environmental protection in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and adopting measures that would ensure greater market orientation and the overall efficiency of the CAP in the global market.

In the declaration the parliamentarians express hope that by pooling efforts, it will be possible to find reasonable ways to enhance public confidence in the CAP. Furthermore, the declaration states that joint efforts of the Baltic States must send an unambiguous signal that the future CAP will ensure a truly strong and competitive environment for all farmers of the EU member states, as well as development of rural areas, in order to meet upcoming challenges in the near future.

The parliamentarians visited the Ministry of Agriculture, where they met with Laimdota Straujuma, Minister for Agriculture, and other experts of the sector to discuss the CAP reform. All parties were unanimous in the opinion that it is necessary to ensure that as of 2014 the Baltic States receive payments equal to those of Romania and that payments are targeted at facilitation of developing agricultural production rather than merely maintaining or mowing agricultural land.

The participants of the meeting shared experiences on effective use of direct payments and investments in rural development and acknowledged that the Baltic States still have to deal with the issue of investing in starting and developing businesses to diversify non-agricultural business in the regions. Furthermore, soundly based, target-oriented investment programmes for all types of farmers are needed, both horizontal and vertical stimulation of cooperation must be continued, extensive support must be given to start-ups and  measures must be taken in regard to land amelioration, especially maintenance and improvement of drainage systems.
The European Commission published proposals for the CAP reform in October 2011. Examination and discussion of the proposals and proposing of alternative solutions at various levels and institutions of the EU was finished at the beginning of 2013. In mid-April trilateral negotiations will begin during which the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council will seek a compromise on the CAP reform. It is expected to adopt the final version of the future CAP by the end of June 2013.

Photos from the meeting are available at:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/sets/72157633228356770/with/8643126656/
Video from the meeting is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPT7q0g1MWY
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Saeima Press Service