Regional and National Governments in line with defence of regional specificities under post-2020 CAP
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated in Lisbon that the Regional and National Government are fully in line with the defence of the Azores' specificities as an Outermost Region in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) negotiations for the 2021-2027 period.
"Both governments are fully in line with the goals to be achieved in the ongoing negotiations on the next CAP. It is important is to continue to pursuing an assertive and determined defence of the Azores' interests and specificities in order to achieve good results," stressed João Ponte. He spoke at the end of a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Luís Capoulas Santos.
The need to ensure a transition period, ranging from one to two years, between the current and the next Community Support Framework to ensure the aid to farmers and the financial means to continue modernising the agricultural sector in the Azores was one of the matters addressed at this meeting with the Minister of Agriculture.
On the other hand, João Ponte defended that it is essential for the European Commission to improve its proposal regarding the second pillar of the post-2020 CAP. It has an announced reduction of 15%, which, as currently presented, will compromise the future challenges of regional agriculture.
The Regional Secretary also reiterated the need to maintain Community co-financing rates at 85% instead of the 70% rate proposed by the European Commission in the next European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) as well as the increase or maintenance of the financial allocations under POSEI.
"The reduction of aid is unacceptable as it undermines the essential values of the European project, such as economic, social and territorial cohesion, but also because it can jeopardise the entire path followed by the agricultural sector in the Azores in terms of modernisation, growth of production," said João Ponte.
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry also rebuffed the proposal for the existence of single strategic plans to cover the aid granted by the European Union under EAFRD with a single managing authority by Member State. According to him, they do not take into consideration the different agricultural realities of Portugal.