Spain asks European Commission to extend period for application under CAP 2020 to 15 June

The period to present the single application under the CAP for 2020 commenced on 1 February and is due to end on 30 April.

However, following the publication of Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, declaring the state of emergency to manage the health crisis caused by COVID-19, a series of restrictions on the movement of people has been established that will have a significant impact on this process for the presentation of a single application.

The ministerial department has begun to process a ministerial order that will establish 15 May as the cut-off point to present the single application for the 2020 season throughout the country. Based on EU rules as at today's date, this is the deadline that this period can be extended to without amending the rules.

To that end, Spain has asked for the deadline for the presentation of the single application to the European Commission to be extended until 15 June. The Implementing Regulation will begin to be processed shortly to extend the deadline for the presentation of the single application until that date.

The Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (Spanish acronym: FEGA), in collaboration with the regional governments, will encourage the procedures for the electronic presentation of the single application and will strengthen the different alternatives that allow these mechanisms to be harnessed to the full so that the maximum number of applications can be presented through these means. This includes both the electronic presentation of the application directly by farmers and the mechanisms for the electronic application by collaborating entities. The competent authorities of the regional governments will provide the pertinent instructions to this end.

All of this is without prejudice to the additional measures that will be taken in the next few days to ensure the management, control and payment of CAP subsidies.

The aim of the Government of Spain is to facilitate to the maximum the presentation of their application under the CAP for 2020 by crop and livestock farmers given the exceptional situation caused by the declaration of the state of emergency.

Non official translation