The European Commission today defended the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposal, which it said would allow Member States to have more freedom, adding that negotiations were going well and that it was not possible to compare budgets.
According to an official source from the European Commission, this is a good proposal, a compromise that allows there to be a minimum guaranteed amount similar to the current one and for each Member State to make its own options.
The budget dedicated to farmers, during this period, will be around 300,000 million euros, with income support including, for example, agri-environmental actions, aid for small and young farmers and investments in farms. The European Commission refused to compare budgets.
Of the total allocation, Brussels proposes that Portugal receive 7,400 million euros.
The community budget for the period between 2028 and 2034, whose negotiations are “progressing well”, also foresees that Portugal will receive an envelope of 142.5 million euros for fisheries.
Among the main changes in the new CAP is the dismantling of the second pillar (rural development), which is now integrated into the first, dedicated to direct payments.
As an official source from the European Commission told Portuguese journalists, there is no longer a fund for the first and second pillars, but only a differentiation in terms of co-financing.
In practice, the support that was provided under the second pillar is now integrated into just one financing instrument.
On the other hand, the amounts of this policy are no longer guaranteed, that is, there is a minimum amount, but the ceiling is not defined.
This lack of security regarding the full value has led the Portuguese agricultural sector to criticize the post-2027 CAP budget.
The Portuguese Farmers Confederation (CAP) recently argued that the proposal is penalizing and that investment efforts in defense are being paid for by the sector.
In addition to income support, Member States will be able to use a fund for national and regional partnerships, intended to finance the remaining CAP measures to be implemented, with a total allocation of 865,000 million euros.
The post-2027 CAP proposal integrates the long-term European Union (EU) budget – the Multiannual Financial Framework.
These proposals regarding the next Multiannual Financial Framework depend on a “green light” from the Council and the European Parliament and are expected to come into force in January 2028.