The Budget Commissioner, Gunther Oettinger visited Dublin on 6 March 2018 as part of a tour of European capitals, in advance of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) proposals, which will be published on 2 May 2018. Ministers for Finance take the lead in negotiations on the MFF.
During his appearance before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance and Public Expenditure, the Commissioner referred to cuts to CAP and Cohesion of 5 - 10%. He also indicated that some Member States are looking for cuts of up to 30%in these programmes.
These figures must be seen in the context of the European Commission's own Reflection Paper on the Future of EU Finances, which was published on the 14 February 2018. Within this paper, a range of scenarios across all major spending programmes are outlined. The impacts of maintaining the current budget, a 15% cut and a 30% cut are considered. The Communication is very clear that these are just options and not proposals and are intended to stimulate an open debate.
Decisions on the multi annual financial framework will ultimately be taken by member states through the European Council, on the basis of proposals advanced by the Commission. While at this point not all Member States may be willing to make the additional contributions needed following Brexit, a significant number of Member States, including Ireland, have indicated their willingness to do so. However, the negotiation on the future MFF will be difficult.
Ireland's position was outlined by An Taoiseach in his address to the European Parliament in January 2018, where he indicated that Ireland is open to contributing more to the EU budget, but only if it is spent on policies that contribute to the advancement of the European ideal. The CAP is such a policy.
I regularly meet with counterparts as part of the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers. These meetings give me the opportunity to discuss future CAP policy and funding with my EU colleagues, including those from Sweden, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.
Since July of last year, I have bilaterally met with the French Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert on three separate occasions, with the main focus of discussion being CAP post 2020. In addition, during the first half of 2017, I held an intensive round of bilateral meetings with my counterparts in key Member States, and intend to do so again shortly. In addition, my Department engages on a regular basis with its counterparts in other member states.
Discussions on the future CAP are intensifying under the Bulgarian Presidency, with CAP related discussions being scheduled at each of its Agri-Fish Council of Ministers meetings. I look forward to engaging constructively with the Presidency, my European counterparts and the European Commission, to ensure that the next CAP continues to provide necessary support to the Irish and European agriculture sector.
