Common Agricultural Policy 2028–2034
PURPOSE: to establish the conditions for the implementation of the Union support to the Common Agriculture Policy for the period from 2028-2034.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is at the heart of the European project. Commitment to the CAP remains relevant today as the EU agricultural sector faces significant challenges: lack of attractiveness for young people, impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, economic pressures, import dependence, and geopolitical uncertainties.
Building on previous successful reforms, the CAP must continue to evolve and refine its ability to respond effectively to a changing global situation, at EU, national, and regional levels. The CAP Strategic Plans 2023-27 have proven to be effective tools for integrated policy implementation. Building on this experience, there is scope to further streamline CAP implementation and increase synergies and flexibility within and with other spending areas.
The legislative package for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 includes the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on national and regional partnership plans establishing the National and Regional Partnership Fund for the period 2028-2034, bringing together the funds pre-allocated at national level under the Fund, including the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) established by Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy.
The Fund should be implemented through national and regional partnership plans that aim to increase flexibility and address crises and interventions requiring Union leadership or coordination. This Union support to the CAP will be provided under the Fund, in accordance with the rules governing that Fund.
CONTENT: while the future CAP will align with the streamlined delivery mechanisms for EU spending programmes under the new MFF and its programming and delivery will be part of the National and Regional Partnership Fund and plans, this proposal lays down specific rules which are needed to steer the CAP towards the following objectives:
- contribute to more targeted income support for farmers and their long-term competitiveness, by directing support towards farmers who actively contribute to food security, the economic vitality of specific farms and sectors and the preservation of the environment, while allowing access to additional sources of income;
- improve the attractiveness of the profession and foster generational renewal and facilitate access for young people and people entering the profession;
- enhance the role of the farming and forest sector for climate action, ecosystem services provision, the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources, by rewarding farmers who work with nature and incentivising them to move towards more sustainable production methods;
- improve resilience and ability to cope with crises and risks;
- accelerate innovation, improve access to knowledge and accelerate the digital transition;
- improve working and living conditions in rural areas.
Concretely, the proposal:
- describes the elements of the environmental, climate and social architecture of the CAP, including environmental and climate priority areas;
- lists all CAP interventions and sets out provisions relating to income support interventions;
- describes the requirements for CAP interventions and the provisions for targeting;
- details the provisions for generational renewal and provides for the Young Farmers Starter Pack, which consists of a comprehensive package of interventions for young farmers facilitating the entry and establishment of farmers in the agricultural sector;
- establishes types of intervention for cooperation, LEADER, support for knowledge sharing and innovation in the fields of agriculture, forestry and rural areas;
- sets out the CAP data governance, including provisions relating to the authority in charge for data governance under the CAP.
To achieve these objectives, the proposal aims to fully exploit the potential of strategic planning through a simpler and more flexible policy framework that strengthens synergies and complementarities across. Building on the current system based on strategic plans, programming will benefit from a further evolution while ensuring the coherence and synergies with the common framework provided by all the MFF proposals.
Budgetary implications
In order to reap the benefits of the national and regional partnership planning, the Commission proposal on the multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034 includes the common agricultural policy in the National and Regional Partnership Fund. A significant part of the Fund is dedicated to income support for agriculture, which is ringfenced with a minimum of EUR 293.7 billion from the allocations of the Fund, in order to provide stability and predictability of support for beneficiaries.