The members of the Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), meeting on 20 and 21 April to debate the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), called for the introduction of a compulsory redistributive payment in the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
Local and regional representatives stressed the urgent need to strengthen governance at several levels and to put in place equitable support measures.
The draft opinion (https://aeur.eu/f/ln0 ) on the CAP 2028-2034, drawn up by the NAT Commission Chair, Piotr Całbecki (EPP, Polish), which was adopted by the NAT Commission, supports degressive area-based income support to reduce inequalities between farms. It provides for the introduction of a redistributive payment from the first hectare, which would benefit small and medium-sized farms more.
New co-financing rules could lead to less investment in environmental objectives, particularly in the least prosperous Member States. The draft opinion therefore proposes reducing the national co-financing rate to 20% for agri-environmental and climate actions.
Finally, the NAT Commission has carried out a study (https://aeur.eu/f/ln1 ) on the repercussions of US agri-food tariffs on European Union regions. It highlights a projected 23.5% fall in EU agri-food exports to the United States, representing around €7 billion a year. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)