CAP reform

EU study: CAP support for ‘couch’ farmers negatively impacts farm communities
Common Agricultural Policy support for landowners not actively engaged in farming has indirectly negatively impacted farming communities, at the same time as the EU continues to haemorrhage farms at an alarming rate, a new EU study has found.
Germany lobbies EU to suspend crop rotation rules
German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir is lobbying the European Commission to postpone a new regulation on crop rotation so that farmers can grow more wheat in view of the war in Ukraine. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Macron’s big plans for French agriculture
From tackling the decline of young farmers to the announcement of a 'third agricultural revolution': what has the newly re-elected French president, Emmanuel Macron, promised for the country's agricultural sector? EURACTIV France reports.
Poland focuses on crisis relief for farmers in wake of Ukraine war
Poland is moving to adapt its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plan to place a stronger focus on food security and crisis relief, while remaining committed to the objectives of the Green Deal. EURACTIV Poland reports.
Agrifood Brief Special CAPitals Edition: Next (farming) Generation EU
What is the current situation in EU member states when it comes to generational renewal? EURACTIV’s network digs deeper into the details in this Special CAPitals Edition of the Agrifood Brief.
Bulgarian farmers in line for unprecedented state funding to ensure food security
The Bulgarian government will allocate a record €560 million budget to ensure the country's food security in light of the war in Ukraine, but the country's agriculture minister has warned this is still insufficient to support the ailing sector.
Italy to review its CAP plan amid calls for ‘reorientation’ and flexibility
Italy is looking at the possibility of "reorienting" its national strategic plan to implement the EU's farming subsidies programme to support strategic agricultural production in response to the economic consequences of the Ukraine war.
Croatia racing to mitigate impact of Ukraine war on agrifood sector
Croatia has made ensuring food security a key focus in light of the crisis in Ukraine, rolling out a number of measures to help producers cope with the fallout from the war. EURACTIV Croatia reports.
How has the Ukraine war impacted the EU’s food security?
Between soaring food prices and feed shortages, the war in Ukraine has rocked the EU’s agri-food sector and thrown an age-old issue back into the limelight: food security.
Spanish agri minister: EU’s rural areas face ‘most difficult moment of the century’
The EU countryside is facing the most difficult moment of the century, Spanish agriculture Luis Planas told EURACTIV's partner EFE Agro, adding that Spain aims to secure food supply while also guarding the green ambitions of its CAP strategic plan.
CAP talks could be impacted by recent French fallow land derogation
While the war in Ukraine continues, French farmers are permitted to cultivate fallow land in order to increase production. The question now is whether the direction of the new Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) will also be affected. EURACTIV France reports.
Slovakia forges ahead on carbon farming
While the EU is still waiting for the European Commission to propose a common framework on promoting farming practices that help remove carbon from the atmosphere, Slovakia has charged ahead and drawn up a new land-use climate fund.
Greek agri minister: Ukraine war to shake up Greek CAP plan
Greece is planning to reshape its Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plan in light of the Ukraine war to strengthen resilience and expand farmers' finance and risk management tools, Georgios Georgantas told EURACTIV Greece in an interview.
V4 farmers demand postponement of new CAP due to Ukraine war
Representatives of the largest agricultural organisations of the four Visegrad Group states and five other countries have jointly called for a temporary postponement of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform, as well as of other environmental measures.
Commission considers call for exceptional flexibility under CAP second pillar
The EU executive is open to looking in detail into member states' call for more flexibility in the rural development spending to help European farmers hit by the Ukraine war, which has put further pressure on the agriculture sector.
France’s CAP plan ‘only partially’ supports green transition, Commission says
The European Commission expressed reservations about France's national strategic plan, saying it did not meet the environmental commitments of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), according to an observation letter. EURACTIV France reports.
Agriculture Commissioner: It is ‘prudent’ to prioritise upping EU food production
Increasing food production in Europe is a priority in light of the Ukraine war, according to the EU's agri-boss, who detailed how the European Commission encourages member states can do this through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
How the Ukraine war is reshaping the CAP
Between rising prices and fuel shortages, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned the EU agrifood sector on its head. To cope with this crisis, the European Commission has asked member states to adapt their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) national strategic...
Germany fears seasonal labour shortages as Ukraine war rages on
This year, labour supply bottlenecks could become a problem due to the Ukraine war and the ongoing pandemic, and while the German Farmers' Association (DBV) calls for the rules to be relaxed, critics argue deeper issues remain.
German fertiliser mining could come out on top amid Belarus embargo
While the EU has banned the import of potash, a key mineral fertiliser, from Belarus as part of the sanctions regime, test drilling for additional potash mines in Eastern Germany looks promising.
Agroecology: an obstacle and a necessity for achieving food sovereignty
The war in Ukraine seems to have set aside, at least temporarily and partially, Europe's ecological ambitions for agriculture but this could lead to challenges in achieving food sovereignty.
How the Ukraine war has impacted the French agrifood sector
Russia's war in Ukraine has impacted almost every aspect of France's agrifood sector. EURACTIV France took stock of the multiple impacts of the war on the sector and responses so far.
Show me the money: How much is the next CAP worth?
In a recent EURACTIV quiz, only 58.8% of respondents correctly identified how much of the EU’s budget is devoted to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), while just under two-thirds knew which of the CAP financial instruments is the largest. In...