Common organisation of agricultural markets (CMO): regime of the single payment scheme and support to vine-growers 2014-2020

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by Herbert DORFMANN (EPP, IT) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council regulation (EC) N° 1234/2007 as regards the regime of the single payment scheme and support to vine-growers.

The committee recommends that the European Parliament’s position in first reading following the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission proposal as follows:

Legal basis: the committee specified that the legal bias of the text should be both the first subparagraph of Article 42 and Article 43(2) TFEU, as opposed to just Article 43(2) as proposed by the Commission.

Increase national ceilings for direct payments: in order to simplify the management of the Single Payment Scheme and to ensure   that it is consistent with the objectives of the rules for direct support schemes for farmers, Members inserted an amend stating that the Scheme is to be amended, so that it includes the possibility for Member States to definitively decrease the funds allocated to the support programmes in the wine sector by 1 August 2013, and thereby increase the national ceilings for direct payments.

Support to vine growers for 2014: a new clause states that Member States should be allowed to continue applying the support provided for in Article 103o of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007.

Lastly, the committee inserted an amendment stating that if a Member State decides to use its national envelope in the form of payments per hectare to vine growers, such payments shall be exempt from any modulation system between Member States.