It was a technical midday presser on Thursday, focused on reforming the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.

The CAP is back

Agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan launched a public consultation on the reform (POLITICO Pro’s Agriculture and Food team published all the details on Thursday morning).

At the presser Hogan agreed that existing EU agriculture policy “is far too complex,” especially for small farmers, and said his proposals would provide “a better package” for farmers and rural development policies. Hogan did not hesitate to hint at shortcomings in the CAP including its bureaucracy, often exacerbated by countries requiring extra paperwork before farming subsidies reach their intended recipients.

Corruption and human rights

The Commission confirmed Jean-Claude Juncker will meet the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Apparently Juncker will not hesitate to discuss human rights issues. We’ll keep an eye on that.

Meanwhile, Margaritis Schinas, the Commission’s chief spokesman, again said the Commission’s anticorruption policy for Romania and Bulgaria will continue until reforms are “enshrined” in national law.

However, Transparency International released a letter Thursday from Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans saying it will stop naming and shaming EU countries facing corruption issues.

The Commission declined to comment on the letter, but Carl Dolan from Transparency International said: “The message coming from the European Commission is clear: fighting corruption is no longer a political priority and graft is only a serious problem in a minority of member states.”

Too many commissioners in Davos …

Apparently Juncker told colleagues that too many of them went to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Schinas would officially say only “it is not secret Jean-Claude Juncker is not a great fan” of the gathering.

Playbook kept a close eye on the Commission delegation in Davos and did not see any of them in ski wear.

Because of the Valletta summit, there’s no midday Friday.