In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, leading EPP Group Members of the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee have requested that she lets the negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy go on and that Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans respects the co-legislators and the democratic process.
“We note with great concern that contradictory positions are being taken by the European Commission regarding this highly important process”, write EPP Group MEPs Herbert Dorfmann, Juan Ignacio Zoido, Norbert Lins, Peter Jahr and Anne Sander to Commission President von der Leyen.
Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans has publically threatened to withdraw the Commission’s proposed reform of the EU’s agricultural policy if he personally considers the level of ambition to be insufficient on environmental and climate sustainability.
“In your letter to the European Greens of 30 October 2020, you clearly state that the Commission is not considering a withdrawal of the CAP reform proposal. On that, you have our full support, not least because both the Council and European Parliament have already taken positions on it”, underline the EPP Group members in their letter to von der Leyen. They also recall that Timmermans’ remarks are clearly not in line with the assurances made when the new Commission was confirmed a year ago.
“It is difficult to reconcile such a position with the proper functioning of the EU’s decision-making process and it would lack democratic legitimacy. It is unacceptable for us. It does not respect the co-legislators. A Vice-President of the European Commission must respect the decisions made by Council and Parliament”, stated the Members in their letter asking that normal decision-making procedures are respected.
