European Committee of Regions warn CAP reform could weaken rural policy
Leaders call for safeguards as EU debates post-2027 CAP changes
4 March 2026
3 minute read
By: At a High-Level Dialogue on 3 March hosted by Chair of the Commission for Natural Resources (NAT) of the European Committee of the Regions, Piotr Całbecki, local, regional, national, and European leaders discussed the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and rural development post-2027.
The event addressed the European Commission’s July 2025 proposal to integrate the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) into National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs) under the 2028–2034 EU budget. Participants examined how to avoid the risks of renationalising the CAP and distorting competition between Member States and regions, despite the increased flexibility for Member States in drafting NRPPs and the shift from prescriptive rules to broader objectives.
Ahead of negotiations between co-legislators, participants raised concern over the proposed post-2027 CAP could weaken its regional dimension, reduce funding predictability, and limit the capacity of local and regional authorities (LRAs) to adapt measures to territorial needs. They called for stronger LRA involvement, clearer governance, and safeguards to ensure environmental and social objectives are met, fair incomes for farmers through stronger market regulation, and targeted support for those who need it most. In particular, they emphasised the need to refine the definition of active farmers and to prioritise redistributive payments for the first hectares, support for young farmers and small family farms, and aid for farms in areas with natural constraints.
Participants also stressed the strategic role of rural areas in achieving the EU’s economic, social, and environmental goals. Rural areas continue to face structural challenges, including depopulation, unequal access to services, limited economic opportunities, and low visibility in policy design. To ensure the continued support under the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, it is essential that rural development measures are sufficiently funded, recognised as a core EU objective rather than being subsumed under the CAP, and implemented through locally based, community-led approaches.
"The Common Agricultural Policy is often debated, but today we all agree that it is more essential than ever for Europe’s stability, security, and long-term future," said Piotr Całbecki, Councillor of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship and rapporteur of the opinion on the Common Agricultural Policy. "Without coordinated support and strong marker regulation, many farms — especially small and medium ones — would disappear, weakening Europe’s ability to feed itself."
“The scale of the challenges facing agriculture and rural areas in recent times is greater than ever before," added Jacek Krajewski, Polish Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development. "Therefore, we need a strong and well-programmed CAP with an appropriate budget. The specific nature of the CAP requires the maintenance of stable funding not only for objectives related to agriculture, but also for rural development, as the existing two-pillar structure has demonstrated its high effectiveness."
"The proposal for the revision of the CMO certainly has positive aspects; however, I also note significant critical issues that risk weakening a policy that is central to European food security and to producer aggregation," said Alessio Mammi, Regional Minister of the Emilia-Romagna Region, member of the AgriRegions Coalition and rapporteur of an opinion on the Common Market Organisation (CMO). "I am referring in particular to the introduction of a minimum 30% national co-financing requirement for aid that has until now been fully financed by the EU. In addition to creating serious transitional problems for multiannual operational programmes that have already been approved, such co-financing risks generating disparities in support among Member States and, consequently, differences in competitiveness among producer organisations within the same sector, thereby undermining the level playing field within the Single Market."
“The future of rural development is at the crossroad," said Radim Sršeň, Mayor of the Municipality of Dolní Studénky and rapporteur of an opinion on Future of the Rural Development 2028. "Rural areas can either become a museum or a vibrant and attractive place to live for all generations. We must do everything we can to follow the second direction. Rural areas have a lot of challenges as well as a great potential, and a holistic, place-based, integrated, multi-fund and multi-policy approach with sufficient resources is the only recipe for their future – a future that fully uses their strategic potential and changing the tides of demography and discontent."
