Brussels bubbles with activities on post-2027 CAP

From the European Commission – Work and discussions on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027 are intensifying in Brussels.

On the European Commission’s side: Informal discussions & the budget

As early as 2023, the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development AGRI of the European Commission already started informal consultations with relevant agrifood stakeholders and launched official working groups to discuss the future of the CAP (5 technical workshops spread in 2023 and beginning of 2024).

The Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG) of the European Commission is also discussing a key topic for the CAP: the future of the multiannual financial framework (MFF or the EU’s budget). This policy will determine the budget of the EU for the period 2027-2032 and will contain decisive guidelines for the next CAP in terms of funding allocation and subsidies. In a confidential first draft, DG BUDG proposed a new approach for the future of the EU budget aiming at simplifying its allocation.

Instead of several sector fundings, DG BUDG proposed to have a “Single National Plan” for each Member State. This would leave the decision with Member States on how to use and decide the budget allocation for each sector, agriculture being one of them. This proposal received strong backlash from the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the configuration of the Council of the European Union composed of the agricultural ministers, because of concerns that this would divert resources away from farmers. It seems therefore unlikely that this approach would go further as it is. However, this gives an indication of the Commission’s direction on the MFF’s future and the trend to give more flexibility to Member States.

Benchmarking, a potential solution for measuring the CAP’s sustainability?

In addition, DG AGRI held a Civil Dialogue Group on the CAP on 7 November, focusing on the benchmarking system, a recommendation of the final report of the Strategic Dialogue for the Future of Agriculture.

IFOAM Organics Europe and three other organisations that were part of the Strategic Dialogue presented their take on the benchmarking system and their reflections on the principles and design of such system. From our side, we stressed that benchmarking needs to:

• Take a comprehensive approach, going beyond just measuring carbon emissions,
• Build on existing regulated systems, such as organic farming,
• Overcome the shortcomings of Life Cycle Assessments and PEF methodologies.

Agrifish Council conclusions: “Farmer-focused post-2027 CAP”

On 23 October, the Agrifish Council presented its conclusions on the future of the CAP, supported or not objected by 26 delegations and 1 opposition.

These conclusions remind the European Commission the serious concerns raised by the farming community due to the adoption of the new requirements of the current CAP and they quote, amongst other things, the  of the European Council on the EU’s contribution to food security, the  adopted on the 27th of June 2024 that sets the EU’s political priorities for 2024-2029 and previous conclusions from the Agrifish Council on a Long-Term Vision for the EU´s Rural Areas and on the future of agriculture in the EU. The conclusions are also taking note of the report from the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture in the EU.

The Agrifish Council emphasises the importance of having a strong, independent CAP containing two pillars that should primarily reward farmers’ efforts and ensure a fair distribution of CAP support. The Council highlights the fact that direct payments are a sensitive issue for Member States, asking for working on an “adequate solution”. They stress the need to increase competitiveness in the agricultural sector, a better crisis management and mechanisms and further incentivising farmers towards green transition mainly through voluntary measures like eco-schemes and agri-environmental-climate measures.

Civil society: Good Food Good Farming campaign actions

On 14 November, the GFGF campaign launched the “European Recipes for Change ” video – a flashback video from the European Days of Action with the aim of mobilising people to join the GoodFoodGoodFarming movement. The video highlights the stories of grassroot voices from across the EU, all united under the broader demand for a just agroecological transition. Featuring events in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, this video seeks to mobilise people and organisations to join the Good Food Good Farming movement. Join the civil movement and use ready-made communication materials.

For more information on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and IFOAM Organics Europe’s work on this issue, please visit our website or contact laura.sauques@organicseurope.bio. Do note that we prioritise our members’ requests.

IFOAM Organics Europe members can find more information on the member extranet and background materials in the arguments database on the member extranet (main messages, arguments/FAQs, visuals & videos). Contact membership@organicseurope.bio for access rights (issues).