Michael Moynihan
Question:39. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he has spoken to his French counterpart regarding the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, recently. [4305/18]
View answerTuesday, 13 February 2018
Questions (39)
Written answers
Informal discussions on future CAP policy post 2020 have been afoot since mid 2016 at many different fora. Since then, more formal discussions have taken place at several Agri-Fish Councils in 2017 under the Maltese, Estonian and Bulgarian Presidencies. Such discussions gave me the opportunity to discuss the future CAP policy with counterparts across member states, including France.
As regards specific engagement with my French counterpart, I held bilateral discussions on the future of the CAP post 2020 with the French Minister for Agriculture Stephane Travert in July 2017. I also attended the CAP sur le PAC Conference held by Minister Travert in Paris on 19 December 2017, at which I was invited to speak. This was the opportune time to discuss the European Commission’s CAP Communication on the future of the CAP, which was published on 29 November 2017. In addition, I met with Minister Travert earlier this month where we held a further exchange of views on the future of the CAP post 2020.
In addition to these political contacts, Department officials engage on a regular basis with colleagues in other member states, including France, and in the EU Commission, in relation to the future of the CAP.
Discussions on the future CAP are intensifying under the Bulgarian Presidency, with CAP related discussions being scheduled at each of the Agri-Fish Council of Ministers meetings. I look forward to engaging constructively with my Ministerial colleagues from other Member States, including France, as discussions progress, to ensure that the next CAP continues to support farm incomes and deliver added value for the citizens of the European Union.