Government warns that "renationalization of the CAP is dangerous"

The Minister of Agriculture warned this Monday that the “renationalization of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is dangerous” and that what is proposed in the next Multiannual Financial Framework of the European Union (EU) could create “unfair competition”.

"We shouldn't change what works, and this renationalization of the CAP is dangerous," and the European Commission is proposing a change "that is disruptive and raises a number of concerns," said José Manuel Fernandes, speaking to Portuguese journalists during a ministerial meeting in Brussels.

José Manuel Fernandes said that if the CAP is to be changed, it must be done in a way that "generates income for farmers, promotes generational renewal," and aims to have "food on the table, food on the plate, for European citizens."

The minister warned that aggregating EU budget money for cohesion policy and agriculture into a single fund could lead to the end of the CAP, especially since, when a Member State has the possibility of adding amounts from its own state budget and loans, it could lead to market distortion.

"Richer states can invest more money, provide stronger support to farmers, and we could have unfair competition," he added.

"There are a number of elements that needed to be improved; we need stability and predictability," commented the Portuguese minister, adding that "there has been a neglect, to put it kindly, of the outermost regions," namely the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores, which is "unacceptable," and he therefore believes that what is on the table "must be changed."

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