20/11/2007
CIAA priorities on the Health Check of the CAP Reform
CIAA’s long-term objective is to promote a competitive, efficient and more sustainable agricultural production in Europe. The CAP should achieve two major objectives: guarantee supply and improve competitiveness. Indeed, industry supply should correspond to specific quality criteria, be in sufficient quantity and be adequately priced.

For CIAA, the Health Check must:

• consolidate the CAP reform
• provide the necessary modifications in view of current trends
• prepare the sector for changes after 2013

CIAA supports an efficient agricultural policy that provides the framework for a competitive and market-oriented agriculture. Based on an adequate balance between the first and second pillar, the CAP has to pursue its role of supporting the production of sustainable agricultural raw materials in the single market.

CIAA supports full decoupling of direct aids, but some exceptions in a few sectors where full decoupling may not secure appropriate supply for the industry should remain possible.

Agricultural markets are currently facing important price increases which completely change future demand and supply assessment in agriculture. The reasons for the surge of agricultural raw materials’ prices are multi-factorial and include both short-term temporary as well as long-term structural changes in supply and demand. These factors lead to availability concerns. The review of the CAP reform has to take this situation into account in view of preventing major market imbalances and disruptions.

The different market instruments have to be assessed according to both, their ability to improve the response to demand from the market and prevent situations of crisis, and, to remedy to temporary imbalance of the market.


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