Since the European Commission presented its proposals for the reform of the CAP on 1 June 2018, the file went through three and a half years of rich debates between the EU’s institutions. Today, all three legislative texts have been approved by MEPs : the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation with 452 votes in favour and 152 against, the Regulation on Financing, Management and Monitoring of the CAP with 482 in favour and 142 against and the Regulation on the Common Organisation of the Markets with 487 in favour and 130 against.
CEPF welcomes the adoption of the CAP by all EU institutions and looks forward to the upcoming funding period. In several Member States the CAP’s Rural Development Funds have long been the main source of EU funding to support the sustainable management of forests. Most important from a forest owner’s view is the approval of the CAP Strategic Plans Regulation. Among others, this Regulation frames which forest specific investments, and environmental, climate or other management commitments are eligible for funding under the CAP. Compared to previous funding periods, this regulation gives more flexibility to the Member States to select measures that are adapted to the field and to the needs of rural area stakeholders, including forest owners.
In the next step the Member States will submit their CAP Strategic Plans to the Commission by 1 January 2022, before the CAP enters into force in 2023. In this context, CEPF hopes that forest-related interventions will be included according to the needs of forest owners. From CEPF’s perspective, while forests are expected to provide key solutions for mitigating climate change and enhancing biodiversity, their various socio-economic benefits should be considered to the same extent and adequately rewarded. The measures aiming at supporting the forest sector should therefore reflect and support all forest benefits.
