Lisbon Treaty gives MEPs more power over agriculture

The Treaty, which was signed by the Czech Republic on Tuesday (November 3), has now been ratified by all 27 member states.

Crucially for farmers, it will give the European Parliament’s agriculture committee co-decision powers – that is to say no EU policy will be passed without the full agreement of MEPs.

If such power had been available in the past, MEPs would have had a greater say over controversial legislation such as EID and NVZs.  

But given the power, MEPs would also have blocked Franz Fischler’s radical, and successful, reform of the CAP in 2003.

Richard Ashworth, Conservative MEP on the agriculture committee, said new powers were a threat, as well as an opportunity, to farmers.

“If MEPs had had co-decision on the recent pesticides regulation, we would have got a stricter set of rules because members were voting on sentiment rather than on science.

“However, we now have an opportunity to bring farmers closer to the decision making process and that has to be good,” he said.

Tom Hind, NFU head of economic affairs, said farmers should now build new relationships with their MEPs to influence future policy.

“Already, MEPs wield significant power to set legislation that affects the daily lives of farmers,” he said.

But with their influence set to increase further he said it was ‘even more important that farmers build up strong relationships with their MEPs’.

The agriculture committee contains six full members from the UK and a further four part-time, or substitute, members.

All major UK political parties have a full member on the committee, with the exception of the Labour Party.

“It just shows that agriculture is not a priority for Labour,” said Mr Ashworth.

Apart from new power to the European Parliament, the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty also makes way for the adoption of a new college of Commissioners, to include a new Agricultural Commissioner. 

Last September Mariann Fischer Boel, the current Agriculture Commissioner, announced she would not stand again and the latest rumours suggest an Irish candidate, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, could succeed her.

Lisbon could trigger a further dramatic change in Europe’s political landscape, and in farmers’ fortunes, if Tony Blair is elected European Council president.

There are even rumours linking Mr Blair’s former chief scientist, Sir David King, with a newly created job – that of chief scientist to the European Commission.

The Lisbon Treaty will come into force on December 1 and the European institutions will approve the new EU hierarchy of politicos in early 2010.

Have your say

Please do not complete the following form field for security reasons.

Name

E-mail

Comment

Post as

Anonymously

Display name