European leaders are making moves that could protect farmers’ payments despite the €12bn Brexit shortfall.
“I do not fear much dramatic cuts in the CAP budget, but I can’t foresee the future,” European Commission agriculture official Tassos Haniotis said in Dublin on Wednesday.
Budget commissioner Günther Oettinger’s latest proposal is to increase member states’ contributions from 1% of GDP to between 1.1% and 1.2% from 2020.
A draft German coalition agreement includes a pledge to increase EU contributions.
However, a leaked French government paper has raised concerns by stating that the EU27 will not be able to pay what was previously being paid by 28 member states.