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Non-Governmental Organizations Customer Earth and Birdlife European press conference on Wednesday (July 24) Complain to the EU Ombudsman about a European Commission decision Relax Some environmental requirements this The European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
In March, after a wave of farmers’ protests swept across the bloc, the European Commission suggested A “simplification package” aimed at reducing the administrative burden of agricultural policy.
The scheme, which came into effect on May 25, changes six of the nine Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC) criteria on which CAP payments are based.
The two NGOs accuse EU institutions of speeding up legislation and flouting EU rules, and want the ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, to assess whether there has been mismanagement in the way the EU executive prepared its proposals.
“The commission did not carry out any impact assessment or otherwise demonstrate that it had taken into account the best available evidence,” the environmental groups said in a press release.
A week after the Commission’s proposal, the European Parliament adopted theEmergency Procedures” to accelerate the implementation of these changes.
Sarah Martin, a lawyer at ClientEarth, said: “Changes to major legislation like this take years to pass, yet these took just a few weeks.”
Martin added: “We have only seen this kind of ’emergency’ procedure initiated during the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.”
While the ombudsman has no enforcement powers, he can make formal recommendations to EU institutions.
Birdlife Europe and ClientEarth also asked O’Reilly to urge the EU executive to notify when it deviates from EU policy. Better regulatory guidance When drafting future proposals.
A decision on whether the complaint is admissible is expected within the next six to 18 months.
（Editing by Angelo Di Mambro and Zoran Radosavljevic)
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