CAP reform: where do we stand and how can regions act?

Background:

Rural areas account for 91% of the territory of the European Union and are home to more than 56% of its population. Currently the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget represents the biggest share of the EU budget with almost 44% of the overall expenditure.
The CAP is due to be reformed by 2013.
In November 2010 the European Commission published its communication on “The CAP towards 2020”.
In June the European Parliament will adopt its response to this communication, which will become the basis for negotiations with the European Commission and the Council on the CAP reform.
Unlike in previous reforms, this time the position of the Parliament carries weight: thanks to co-decision it will indeed have an equal say as the Council in the final reform.

Key questions:

-What are the latest developments in the Parliament? What are the consequences?
-What is the role of the Parliament in the reform process, especially budget-wise?
-What are the next steps in the legislative process?
-How can regional stakeholders voice their interests?

Summary Report:

Please find the summary report and the presentations on the right hand side of this page. Please do not hesitate to get back to the AER secretariat (aer.brusselsdelete_me(at)aerdelete_me.eu) should you have any further questions.

The Breakfast Briefing  will be followed by a programme of study visits in Gelderland (NL) to showcase how modern agriculture can combine productivity and sustainability AND to highlight the role of education and research in agriculture and rural development. 

A bus will take participants directly from the House of Dutch Provinces to Gelderland (registrations open until 6/06)

For more information on the study visits and to register please go to: http://www.aer.eu/en/events/regionaldevelopment/2011/study-visit.html