Özdemir: EU agricultural cash will be paid out on time
Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has announced the punctual payment of EU agricultural cash despite the Federal Constitutional Court's decision on special funds. "The disbursement of direct payments by the federal government is not affected by the budget freeze as it does not involve federal funds," said the Green politician at a special agricultural conference in Kiel on Tuesday.
According to the Minister, the payment dates of December 22nd and 27th will remain as long as the federal states provide the necessary data. However, the effects of the ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court posed challenges and questions for the federal government, which were being clarified at full speed.
Özdemir said that it was important to him that his ministry continued to develop an agriculture geared towards climate and environmental protection, which would then also guarantee secure harvests. This would require a fundamental development of the agricultural and food system towards greater sustainability and resilience.
According to the information provided, there were no final results at the special conference of agriculture ministers. The chairman of the conference, Schleswig-Holstein's head of department Werner Schwarz (CDU), emphasized that further "technical discussions" would follow.
Last week, the Federal Constitutional Court declared the reallocation of 60 billion euros in loans in the 2021 budget null and void. They had been approved to tackle the coronavirus crisis, but were to be used for climate protection and modernizing the economy. Now the billions in the so-called Climate and Transformation Fund are not available.
Despite the budget freeze and the ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court, agricultural payments in December will proceed as planned, ensuring continued support for farmers. To address climate change and safeguard future harvests, Federal Agriculture Minister Özdemir emphasizes the importance of transitioning agriculture towards climate and environmental protection, necessitating a more sustainable and resilient agricultural and food system.
Source: www.dpa.com
