1 Amendments of Zigmantas BALČYTIS related to 2011/0280(COD)
Amendment 185 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Due to the successive integration of various sectors into the single payment scheme and the ensuing period of adjustment granted to farmers, it has become increasingly difficult to justify the presence of significant individual differences in the level of support per hectare resulting from use of historical references. Therefore direct income support should be more equitably distributed between Member States, by reducing the link to historical references and having regard to the overall context of the Union budget. To ensure amore fair and more equal distribution of direct support, while taking account of the differences that still exist in wage levels and input costs, the levels of direct support per hectare should be progressively adjusted. Member States with direct paymenbut also considering that all European farmers are working in single market, and especially single labour market the levels of direct support per hectare should be progressively adjusted. To avoid further distortion of competition which has social implications for a number of Member States, especially the Baltic countries, taking into account not only farmers' interests, below the level ofut also the needs of consumers and of the public in general. Member States with a current level of direct payments per hectare below 90 % of the EU average should close one third of the gap between their current level and this level at the beginning of the 2014-2020 financial period. Member States with a level of direct payments above 90% but below the EU average should close this gap by 10% during the Multiannual Financial Framework. This convergence should be financed proportionally by all Member States with direct payments above the Union average. In addition, all payment entitlements activated in 2019 in a Member State or in a region should have a uniform unit value following a convergence towards this value that should take place during the transition period in linear steps. However, in order to avoid disruptive financial consequences for farmers, Member States having used the single payment scheme, and in particular the historical model, should be allowed to partially take historical factors into account when calculating the value of payment entitlements in the first year of application of the new scheme. The debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework for the period starting in 2021 should also focus on the objective of complete convergence through the equal distribution of direct support across the European Union during that period.