«The Commission remains fully committed to delivering solutions to ease the pressure currently felt by our hard-working farming women and men. We are easing the administrative burden on our farmers to help them guarantee food security for European citizens. Simplification of our agriculture policies is a constant priority, at both EU and national level. With this range of actions, we are delivering on the pledge we made to our farmers to accelerate this discussion. I look forward to hearing the views of our Member States.» (Ursula von der Leyen)

Europakommisjonen legger nå frem en rekke forslag for å redusere den administrative byrden til EUs bønder, jf. pressemelding. Forslagene følger opp kommisjonspresidents Ursula von der Leyens tale til det Det europeiske råd 1. februar 2024, og ble diskutert på rådsmøtet 26. februar. Blant tiltakene som foreslås, er forenkling av settet med grunnleggende standarder GAECs (good agricultural and environmental conditions). Politico skriver at «Among the favorite “solutions” is the derogation or weakening of several environmental requirements — GAEC 2, 6, 7, 8. Ministers also want to postpone the application of the social conditionality — linking subsidies to compliance with social and labor rights — which has already entered force in some countries, including Spain, Italy and France, and is expected to be mandatory for all from 2025.»

I tillegg til å høre medlemslandenes synspunkt i Rådet lanserer også Kommisjonen målrettede høringer som retter seg direkte til EUs bønder. Høringene – «EU online survey for farmers» og «Detailed analysis of the complexity for farmers stemming from the EU regulatory framework and national rules» vil søke å få et klarere bilde av de viktigste administrative hindringene som bøndene opplever at de møter. I et non-paper som Agence Europe har fått tilgang til, fremhever Kommisjonen at man «will focus on farmers’ concerns regarding the administrative burden stemming from the EU regulatory framework as well as from national rules. With regard to EU level rules, this will include the aid applications, the monitoring and the controls under the common agricultural policy (CAP) as well as obligations stemming from other EU legislation. The launch of this exercise will allow the Commission to identify areas where improvements, in particular in EU rules and guidelines, could be made to reduce the administrative burden.» Høringene vil etter planen starte i mars.

Kommisjonsforslagene kommer i en tid med sterke protester blant EUs bønder.