AGRICULTURE COUNCIL : DISADVANTAGED REGIONS: MAJORITY PREFER CURRENT SYSTEM OF SUPPORT.

The member states' agriculture ministers have backed the European Commission's position that the new system of support for the areas with natural constrains (ANCs) proposed in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform package should be introduced within the framework of the next multiannual budget for the years 2014-2020. However, the majority of ministers spoke in favour of allowing extra time for countries that are not ready to meet the deadline of 1 January 2014 set in the Commission's proposal. In his introductory remarks at the beginning of the web-streamed debate, on 24 September, Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos strongly defended the need for a change in the current system of delimitation of areas with constrains in order to make it more objective, transparent and comparable across the EU. He underlined that currently more than 140 national criteria constitute the basis for the delimitation and that the system has not been revised since its establishment in 1975.

"Maintaining the system indefinitely is not an option," said Ciolos, insisting that any significant delay of a reform would undermine its credibility. "It would be difficult to justify that the revision of the system that has been planned for 2005 would not be implemented before 2020." He signaled, however, the Commission's readiness to agree to a transitional period. "I understand the practical and technical difficulties related to the implementation of the new system. I recognise the need for flexibility," said Ciolos.

All member states opposed a delay to the introduction of a new system until the post-2020 financial framework...