10- 11 - 2011 - Legal proposals for the CAP after 2013 The European Commission's  proposals for a reform of the CAP after 2013 aim to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and permanence of agriculture throughout the EU in order to secure for European citizens a healthy and high-quality source of food, preserve the environment and develop rural areas.
On 12 October 2011 the Commission presented a set of legal proposals designed to make the CAP a more effective policy for a more competitive and sustainable agriculture and vibrant rural areas.
The legal proposals are accompanied by an impact assessment that evaluates alternative scenarios for the evolution of the policy on the basis of extensive quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Proposal for a
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural
Development (EAFRD)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular
Article 42 and 43 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission7,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national Parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee8,
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions9,
Having consulted the European Data Protection Supervisor 10
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,
Forestry is an integral part of rural development and support for sustainable and climate friendly land use should encompass forest area development and sustainable management of forests. During the 2007-2013 programming period a variety of measures covered different types of support for forestry investments and management.
In the interest of simplification but also of allowing beneficiaries to design and realise integrated projects with increased added value, a single measure should cover all types of support for forestry investments and management. This measure should cover the extension and improvement of forest resources through afforestation of land and creation of agro-forestry systems combining extensive agriculture with forestry systems, restoration of forests damaged by fire or other natural disasters and relevant prevention measures, investments in new forestry technologies and in the processing
and marketing of forest products aimed at improving the economic and environmental performance of forest holders and non remunerative investments which improve ecosystem and climate resilience and environmental value of forest ecosystems.
Support should avoid distorting competition and be market neutral. As a result limitations should be imposed relating to the size and legal status of beneficiaries.
Preventive actions against fires should be in areas classified by Member States as medium or high fire risk. All preventive actions should be part of a forest protection plan. The occurrence of a natural disaster in the case of action for the restoration of damaged forest potential should be subject to the formal recognition by a scientific public organisation. The forestry measure should be adopted in the light of undertakings given by the Union and the Member States at international level, and be based on Member States’ national or sub-national forest plans or equivalent instruments which should take into account the commitments made in the Ministerial Conferences on the Protection of Forests in Europe. It should contribute to the implementation of the Union Forestry Strategy16. In order to ensure that afforestation of agricultural land is in line with the aims of environmental policy the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the definition of certain minimum environmental requirements.