On Monday 10 November, negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU Council reached a provisional agreement on how to simplify certain rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). With regard to good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC), the Council’s position has largely prevailed.
The political agreement on the ‘omnibus’ package for agriculture still has to be approved by the EU Council and the European Parliament, with a view to it coming into force in early 2026. The compromise was reached after a total of two trilogues (see EUROPE 13734/11).
Environmental requirements. In order to protect biodiversity and avoid farmers having to plough land every five to seven years, which is costly and time-consuming, in order to keep it arable, it is planned, with regard to GAEC 1 (obligation to maintain permanent grassland), that land considered as arable on 1 January 2026 will be able to retain this status even if it has not been worked, ploughed or reseeded.
Parliament did not obtain the deletion of GAEC 5 (limitation of soil erosion) and GAEC 9 (ban on ploughing sensitive grasslands in Natura 2000 sites). However, with regard to GAEC 5, a statement from the Commission has been provided, in which it undertakes to revise the documents clarifying the guidelines in this area by 31 December 2025 at the latest.
With regard to Natura 2000 sites, the European Parliament adopted amendments whereby farmers whose farms are located on sites designated as Special Areas of Conservation or Special Protection Areas under Directive 92/43/EEC (‘Habitats’) and Directive 2009/147/EC (‘Birds’) would be deemed to automatically comply with GAEC standards 1 to 7. However, the Council’s position was adopted. As a result, the farmers concerned will not automatically be considered as complying with these GAECs.
GAEC 2 (protection of wetlands and peatlands) will become optional, and farms of less than 30 hectares will be exempt from the obligation to comply with GAEC 7 (crop rotation and diversification).
Organics. Certified organic farmers will automatically be deemed to comply with several GAEC requirements for the parts of their farms that are organic or in conversion. Member States will be able to decide to what extent partially organic farms will be considered as complying with certain GAECs.
Controls. The single inspection principle proposed by the Commission has been confirmed, ensuring that farmers will not be subject to several official controls in the same year. As a result, there will be just one on-site inspection per farm per year.
Crisis. Both institutions rejected the introduction (proposed by the Commission) of direct crisis payments, but crisis payments from the second pillar (rural development) will be possible (optional for Member States). The agreement will enable the latter to grant crisis payments to active farmers affected by natural disasters, adverse weather conditions or exceptional events. These payments will aim to ensure the continuity of agricultural activity on the farms concerned, explains a European source.
Small farms. The European Parliament and the Council have decided to increase the ceiling on support for small farmers: the annual payment could reach €3,000 (compared with €2,500 in the initial proposal and €5,000 according to Parliament’s amendments). One-off funding for business development has also been increased, up to €75,000 (compared with €50,000 initially).
Finally, advances on direct payments have been increased to 70% and 85% for rural development.
Satisfaction. The Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen welcomed the agreement reached: “It was time to cut red tape and allow farmers to concentrate on what they do best: producing our food”. He believes that European farmers will see real changes as early as next year: “A single on-site inspection per year, simpler rules for organic farms, fewer checks on certain practices on farms of less than 30 hectares and higher flat-rate payments for small farmers - all while maintaining our environmental and climate objectives”.
André Rodrigues (S&D, Portuguese), rapporteur on this file at the European Parliament, said that from 1 January 2026, these new rules would apply to more than 9 million farmers across Europe, “because we have listened to them and turned their concerns into concrete solutions”.
Dan-Ştefan Motreanu (EPP, Romanian) welcomed the agreement and said that the next step was to ensure the continuation of the CAP in the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)