The European Commission will present its proposal on the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in July, “and the legal proposal on the future CAP will come along with it”, said Christophe Hansen, European Commissioner for Agriculture, at the ‘Vision for Agriculture’ conference in Brussels on Thursday 8 May.
The Commissioner stressed that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) remained the essential tool for supporting the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector.
“The future CAP should be simpler and reduce excessive bureaucracy for farmers. It should be more targeted shifting from conditions to more incentives while giving member states more responsibility and accountability on how to meet our common objectives”, said Mr Hansen at the conference.
As farm incomes are still too low compared to other wages in the economy, “we intend to keep direct income support. Direct payments will continue to be the main tool to support the farming community. However, these payments should be better targeted”, the Commissioner qualified.
Mr Hansen stressed the need to preserve the agricultural fabric: “We must ensure that Europe does not lose more farmers or see more land abandoned”, he said, calling for a budget dedicated to agriculture.
Simplification. As mentioned by the President, Ursula von der Leyen, at the opening of the conference, Mr Hansen confirmed that the Commission will be presenting a first simplification package next week. “It will be a simplification focused on the Common Agricultural Policy” (see EUROPE 13623/10).
By the end of the year, a second simplification package will be proposed, also affecting other policy areas outside the CAP. “I really want farmers to feel the difference that less red tape can make their daily work easier”, said Mr Hansen.
The Commissioner also plans to simplify the requirements at farm level so that various farming situations and practices can be better recognised, in particular organic farming. He wants to rationalise support for small farms by making greater use of simplified payments: “It will boost competitiveness with improved access to financial instruments and support”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)