The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry expressed his satisfaction with the European Commission's intention to apply more simplified and flexible rules to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2020. Now, each Member State will be responsible for drawing up its own strategic plan to achieve common goals.
 
The new functioning model announced today at the Commission's press conference in Brussels will ensure greater subsidiarity to Member States, which will require them to develop strategic plans under CAP to be approved by the Commission. The plans will simplify and improve their coherence, and ensure the monitoring of results.
 
Hence, João Ponte emphasised that it will be possible for each country to define and adapt the achievement of the general goals for CAP, agreed by the European Union, to its own reality. This will bring policy and its effects closer to the actual needs of their beneficiaries.
 
This initiative also represents a greater responsibility for Member States in deciding how and where they will invest their CAP funds in order to achieve the ambitious common goals on environment, climate change and sustainability.
 
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phill Hogan, stated in Brussels that the CAP must be able to respond to "new and emerging" goals, namely the promotion of a smarter and resilient agricultural sector, the reinforcement of environmental protection, the fight against climate change and the strengthening of the socio-economic fabric of rural areas.
 
The Regional Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry stated that the document prepared by the Azores will be completed by December, which congregates the various contributions provided by the sector on the future of the post-2020 CAP.
 
Although the future multiannual financial framework is not yet known, João Ponte reiterated the importance of increasing the financial envelope of POSEI in order to respond to production growth registered in recent years and additional production costs in the Azores arising from climate, geographic and size constraints, and the distance from markets.
 
Competitiveness, environment, climate, nutrition and animal welfare, without forgetting the income and the food chain, are strategic axes for the CAP after 2020, emphasised João Ponte.
 
For the Secretary of Agriculture, it will be necessary to reinforce the support for investment, innovation, research and the transfer of knowledge to increase attractiveness, promote the rejuvenation of the sector and ensure more resources for agricultural diversification.
 
In addition, the government official mentioned the implementation of measures to promote the production of added-value goods generated in the sector, including environment, climate, healthy food, animal welfare and biodiversity protection. It is also important to strengthen the support to agriculture and farmers in areas facing natural constraints, maintain agricultural activity in less favoured areas as well as to reinforce measures favouring the adoption of modes of production that make a sustainable use of natural resources.
 
João Ponte also stressed the importance of the European Union's contribution to the regulation of good practices, preventing unfair trade practices between companies in the food chain.