On 23 and 24 January 2013, Member of Parliament from AGRI committee of the European Parliament adopted their draft mandate for the negotiation with the European Council. The review of adopted amendments allows to list several positive points for mountain areas: flexibility and higher amounts for LFA payments, open list for coupled payments, eligibility of permanent pastures, agri-environment payments allowing to pay for maintenance of beneficial practices and not only practice change. Euromontana priorities in that respect have been well taken into account. However, the Parliament mandate steps back on the opening of rural development payments to non-agricultural beneficiaries and on the preferential targeting of small farmers. Convergence is also altered and dangerous exclusion criteria have been introduced. We list below the main points echoing with our past position papers.
