On Tuesday in Strasbourg, the European Parliament will definitively approve the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2023-2027. These votes will conclude three and a half years of difficult negotiations.
Members of the European Parliament will specifically discuss and approve three CAP regulations: one on financing rules, one on national strategic plans, and one on the common market organization.
The aim of the new agricultural policy is to become more climate- and environmentally friendly, with individual EU countries allowed to have more national discretion in its implementation. The vote is the last parliamentary step before the new CAP comes into effect.
On December 13 and 14, the 27 Agriculture Ministers will give their final approval at their Agriculture Summit in Brussels. Discontented farmers' unions from various EU countries plan to hold a large tractor protest in Brussels then.
The negotiations on the reform took place simultaneously with discussions on “Farm to Fork” as part of the Green Deal. This European Commission project aiming for climate neutrality by 2050 leads to increasing demands on European agriculture.
One of the changes is the introduction of so-called “eco-schemes,” or payments that will make up 25% of direct support but will only be awarded for agricultural practices that benefit the environment.
For the first time, the CAP will include social “conditions,” meaning that only agricultural businesses that respect labor rights of their personnel will receive subsidies—voluntarily from 2023 but mandatory from 2025. Moreover, a portion of the subsidy must be allocated to young farmers.
The new CAP also allows for national strategic plans, giving EU countries more flexibility. Most EU nations are currently finalizing their national programs to submit them to the EU before December 31.