Still an Uphill Road Towards a More Sustainable CAP

The debate for the approval of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) reform has now entered a crucial phase. Yesterday Members of the European Parliament presented their draft legislative report on the package proposed by the European Commission in October. While there is still some time before the document’s final approval, the risk is high that initial good intentions will not be followed through.

“It is an uphill road, and the fact that the Parliament intends to reduce direct payments for producers who implement environmentally sustainable practices is a bad sign,” said Slow Food president Carlo Petrini, who has repeatedly expressed his position in favor of a greener CAP. “The Commission had proposed a specific set of environmental criteria. Today the Parliament has suggested toning these criteria down, arguing that they were too strict. The only result will be continued support for those who have no actual intention to adopt more sustainable practices”.

“Slow Food will continue to work for more sustainable agriculture and will do all in its power to make its voice heard till the last possible minute,” Petrini said, speaking from Rio de Janeiro, where he is taking part in Rio+20, the United Nations conference on climate change and sustainable development.

Over the past years Slow Food has been actively calling for a more sustainable CAP. The association created a specific section on its website dedicated to European policies, Slow Europe (www.slowfood.com/sloweurope), and has been promoting debate on the future of European agriculture in all of the 27 EU countries in which it is present through its network, with 625 convivia, 330 Presidia and nearly 900 Terra Madre food communities. The highlight of Slow Food’s involvement will be the conference “CAP Reform: An Opportunity for European Democracy” which will take place on September 19 at the European Parliament.
Paola Nano
Slow Food International
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