EN Official Journal of the European Union C 271/143

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on fixing an adjustment rate to direct payments provided for in Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 in respect of calendar year 2013’

COM(2013) 159 final — 2013/0087 (COD)

2013/C 271/27

Rapporteur-General: Dilyana SLAVOVA

On 8 April and 16 April 2013 the Council and the European Parliament respectively decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 43, paragraph 2 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, on the

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on fixing an adjustment rate to direct payments provided for in Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 in respect of calendar year 2013

COM(2013) 159 final — 2013/0087 (COD).

On 16 April 2013, the Bureau of the European Economic and Social Committee instructed the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment to prepare the Committee's work on the subject.

Given the urgent nature of the work, the European Economic and Social Committee appointed Ms SLAVOVA as rapporteur-general at its 490th plenary session, held on 22 and 23 May 2013 (meeting of 22 May), and adopted the following opinion by 124 votes with 4 abstentions.

1. Conclusions and recommendations

1.1 The EESC supports setting the 2013 adjustment rate of the financial discipline mechanism according to Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 73/2009 (1). However, it notices that the Commission proposal, based on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) agreed by the European Council on 8 February 2013 (2), has no legal validity without the agreement of the European Parliament.

1.2 The EESC considers that the Commission and the Parliament could explore the possibilities for the future reserve for crisis not to drain resources from the CAP budget. If the reserve were to be included under heading 2 of the MFF, it should be secured with additional financing. As a consequence, the adjustment rate for direct payments could result in a lower percentage than the one proposed by the Commission, to the benefit of farmers.

1.3 The Committee urges the Council, the Parliament and the Commission to make any effort needed in order to reach a final compromise within a short delay, thus providing not only farmers but all operators in every sector of the EU economy with the required legal certainty for their own financial planning.

2. Background to the opinion

2.1 With a view to ensuring that the amounts for the financing of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) comply with the MFF, a financial discipline mechanism adjusts the level of direct payments when the forecasts indicate that the annual sub-ceilings for market related expenditure and direct payments under heading 2 of the MFF will be exceeded.

2.2 As a rule, farmers submitting an aid application for direct payments for one calendar year (N) are paid within a fixed payment period falling under the financial year (N+1). In respect of calendar year 2013, this means that the payment period will fall under the MFF 2014-2020, which has not yet been adopted.

3. General comments

3.1 Taking into account the implications of the unequal distribution of direct payments between small and large beneficiaries, the EESC attaches great importance to the fact that the reduction continues to be applied in the future only for amounts in excess of EUR 5 000.

Brussels, 22 May 2013. The President of the European Economic and Social Committee Henri MALOSSE

(1) OJ L 30, 31.1.2009, p. 16.

(2) EUCO 37/13.