The EU is not known for drafting laws in haste.
But with farmers taking to the streets this spring to protest red tape, police being pelted with eggs and manure dumped on city streets, policymakers have suddenly discovered a way to speed things up — even if it means forgoing public debate or ignoring evidence that what’s being proposed will do more good than harm.
On Wednesday, lawmakers in the European Parliament are expected to rubber-stamp a proposal by the European Commission to dilute several requirements in the bloc’s €300 billion-plus farm subsidy system in an effort to reduce red tape. The requirements — known in EU jargon as “conditionality” — oblige farmers to protect the environment if they want public money.
The Commission took mere weeks to draft the proposal, working at the behest of national authorities and consulting only with farmers who are subject to the rules. It did not perform an impact assessment — a gold standard for quality legislation, according to its own rulebook — nor did it talk to civil society groups representing the interests of the broader public.
