Dominik Žganec ( 46279)

LEFT staff
11/04/2024

Briefing
on
Draft Recommendation for a Decision pursuant to Rule 111(6) of the Rules of Procedure to
raise no objections to Commission Delegated Regulation C(2024)01488 of 12 March 2024
amending Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/126 supplementing Regulation
(EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the rules on the
ratio for the good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC) standard 1
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI)

Rapporteur Norbert LINS (EPP, Germany)

Report Number and Committee, B9-0199/2024
reference document of the EC AGRI/9/15054
Proposed act / Procedure 2024/2663 (DEA) - delegated acts procedure
LEFT shadow Luke Flanagan
LEFT Staff John McGilloway / Dominik Žganec
LEFT position in Committee In favour
Adoption in Committee/result + AGRI vote - 19/03/2024
result per political group 36 in favour, 6 against, 1 abstention
Adoption in plenary April II 2024
Request for amendments/split, No
separate and RCVs/ debate for
the plenary
Request for debate in the group No
Political relevance for our group Low/Medium
Media relevance Low/Medium
Internal position Shadow is in favour of early non-objection, some
delegations might vote differently
Positions of other political groups Majority of political groups voted in favour of early non-
/ possible external controversy objection in AGRI committee - EPP, S&D, RE, ID, ECR, one
Green; two S&D MEPs, other Green MEPs voted against, 1
ID abstained
LEFT position (shadow) In favour

1. Executive summary

As a result of protests of farmers, Commission proposed change in a delegated act in relation

to the GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions) 1 standards adding more
flexibilities for Member States on GAEC 1 of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) that
aims at maintaining permanent grassland areas. After receiving a delegated act from the
Commission on 12 March, the AGRI Committee decided to adopt a recommendation for an
early non-objection to the following delegated act in order to speed up the process.
Since the objection to the procedure was tabled to the plenary by our group, there will be a
vote on the early non-objection taking place in April II session. Our shadow supports early
non-objection to the delegated act, some delegations might vote differently.

2. Background

On 12 March, in response to farmers’ protests, the Commission presented a delegated act

giving Member States and farmers the flexibility to the obligation to keep areas of permanent
grassland stable since the reference year 2018. Permanent grassland enriches soil, captures
carbon, and promotes biodiversity and the GAEC 1 requirement stipulates that area to be
preserved or restored must be based on a ratio of permanent grassland in relation to total
agricultural surface in a reference area.
Procedurally, delegated act can only enter into force if no objection is expressed by the
Parliament and the Council within two months after it has been notified, unless an early non-
objection is agreed. On March 19, prior to the expiry of the deadline set, the AGRI
Committee voted in favour of an early non-objection to this delegated act, based on the
urgency demanded by the farming community.
This early non-objection was announced at the opening of April I session where our political
group objected to it, therefore final vote on it is taking place in April II session.

3. Content and LEFT position

Since 1 January 2023, Member States are implementing their CAP Strategic Plans including
the obligation to maintain a ratio of permanent grassland compared to agricultural area as set
out as a part of Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition of Land (GAEC) Standard 1
(‘GAEC 1’) in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115. Specifically, Commission Delegated
Regulation (EU) 2022/126 lays down rules on the ratio for the good agricultural and
environmental condition (GAEC) standard 1. In that respect, Member States shall ensure that
the ratio of permanent grassland in relation to agricultural area does not decrease by more
than 5 % compared to a reference ratio established by each Member State in its CAP
Strategic Plan by dividing areas of permanent grassland by the total agricultural area.
Commission now proposes to amend this delegated by amending Article 48 to Regulation
(EU) 2022/126 with the following elements:
• possibility for Member States to adjust once in the programming period 2023-2027 the
2018 reference ratio to reflect a decrease in the area of permanent grassland where such
adjustment is necessary due to structural changes in the farming systems that took place
after 2018
• possibility for Member States to take into account an increase of the total agricultural
area declared in a given year and areas of permanent grasslands that are not declared for
direct payments in a given year but are registered in the land parcel identification system
as permanent grassland on agricultural area when imposing at the holding level the
obligation to reconvert land into permanent grassland or to establish an area of
permanent grassland
• derogation from the obligation to impose at the holding level an obligation to reconvert
an area to permanent grassland or to establish an area of permanent grassland for cases
where the decreases in the ratio of permanent grassland below the threshold of 5% is not
occurring due to conversion of areas of permanent grassland to other agricultural uses,
such as arable land or permanent crops
Our shadow agrees with the procedure, not to object to the delegated act, and to speed up the
procedure, given the importance of these changes for the farming community, and that
delegated act would anyway come into force at a later stage without this early non - objection
procedure. On the content, flexibilities provided in GAEC 1 through the delegated act
amendment are reasonable because this amendment to the Delegated Act provides options for
Member States to better target reconversion obligations. Given the specific circumstances,
our shadow agrees to add more flexibility for certain Member States in the current CAP
programming period in the case of a significant decrease of the area of permanent grassland,
which could be caused by a structural change in farming systems due to market orientation
towards arable crops and a decrease in the livestock sectors and its need for fodder and
grazing.

4. LEFT position/strategy for the plenary vote and suggested key messages

The shadow proposes to vote in favour in plenary, he agrees with the content of the
amendment to the delegated act adding limited flexibilities for Member States for GAEC 1.
Some delegations might vote differently.