Less administrative burdens and more flexibility in environmental regulations are on the horizon

Today the European Council formally adopted a targeted revision of some basic acts of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A measure that was born as a response to the concerns expressed by farmers in recent months and takes into account the impact of geopolitical developments, such as the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and extreme weather events.

As explained by Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture David Carnival , the revision "is a concrete result of our efforts to reduce bureaucracy and ensure simplification for farmers. The adoption takes place only two months after the presentation of the proposal by of the Commission. This clearly shows that we are keeping the promises made to European farmers."

The revision concerns some elements of the regulation on the strategic plans of the CAP and of the regulation on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy (the so-called "horizontal regulation"). This is a response to the problems encountered during the first year of implementation of the new CAP. The updated rules ensure simplification, reduce administrative burdens and provide greater flexibility to comply with certain environmental conditionalities, while ensuring a predictable framework for farmers. The text seeks a balance between the need to maintain the sustainability ambitions contained in the current CAP and to ensure that farmers' concerns are addressed in an effective and timely manner.

The law will now be signed by representatives of the Council and the European Parliament. It will then be published in the European Official Journal and will come into force the day after its publication, by the end of May. Farmers will be able to retroactively apply some of the new environmental cross-compliance rules for the 2024 reporting year.

During its meeting on 26 February 2024, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council confirmed the political will to respond effectively to the concerns expressed by farmers and urged the Commission to present a proposal to specifically modify the CAP regulations.

On 15 March 2024, the Commission, at the initiative of Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski , published its proposal. The European Parliament agreed to deal with the case according to its "urgent procedure" and decided, on 24 April 2024, to approve the CAP simplification package.