Monday brought the first opportunity for formal exchange since Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her latest Multi-annual Financial Framework that drives the new CAP. No doubt European Agri Commissioner Christophe Hansen was braced for some strong views, but I’m not sure he was prepared for such straight talking. Hansen did his best to cushion the changes, suggesting the status quo was hardly an option, considering debt has to be repaid and there are new priorities, notably in the area of security and defence.

The Lithuanian minister came right out and labelled the distribution of farm expenditure among Member States a “disaster”. Meanwhile, Slovakia was clear that it “will never support this proposal”, while France sees a complete “mismatch” between the budget allocation and the “strategic importance of our industry”. The vast majority were vocal that they wanted a standalone and independent policy, with an adequate and separate budget. The Danish minister underlined the negotiations are important for the Danish presidency and set up an agenda for detailed discussions. The Irish presidency will be even more important.

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