EU ministers offer soothing talk for farmers in CAP reset launch

EU agriculture ministers meeting in Brussels couched parameters for reforming financing support for the sector in emollient terms for farmers, stressing that they would seek to cut bureaucracy rather than subsidies.

The ministers approved a set of conclusions outlining key directions for an upcoming revision of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the next EU budget cycle, spanning 2028–2034.

Critics have long argued that the €387 billion program—constituting a third of the EU budget—disproportionately benefits large-scale farm owners and contributes to environmental issues.

But calls to reduce the CAP envelope and redirect funds to other EU strategic priorities like defence were drowned out by a chorus of protests by farmers this year across Europe.

In a document comprising 35 key points, ministers outlined their direction to change the CAP, ranging from enhancing farmers’ competitiveness and strengthening their position in the food supply chain to adopting a farmer-friendly delivery model that cuts bureaucracy.

New Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, attending his first ministerial meeting, praised the conclusions as “valuable inputs” for shaping his Vision for Agriculture and Food, a strategic document he will present in February.

“Some expect a revolution, but we argue for the evolution of CAP,” Hansen told the ministers, highlighting a balanced approach to future reforms combining less regulation and more incentives for the sector.

Road to CAP reform

The first Commission proposal for the new CAP reform is expected by 2026, only after EU leaders have hashed out how much money to devote to EU farmers in the next EU’s long-term budget.

“I do not exclude difficult discussions, for example on how to better target the EU money,” Hansen told ministers, citing the potential impact of EU enlargement and the likely future entry of an agricultural powerhouse such as Ukraine within the bloc.

In the adopted document, EU-27 ministers said that the CAP reform should continue to be focused on farmers, ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community.

“Direct payments should continue to support farmers' income stability,” said Hungarian agriculture minister István Nagy who led the ministerial talks on the document over the past months.

Hansen stressed that the primary aim of the exercise was to cut red tape. “It is the generational renewal that everybody in the room was concerned about. It is bringing down the administrative burden,” he said of the debate in a subsequent press conference, adding: "Our farming sector wants to produce, to be out on the field, to be taking care of all the animals. Not to spend too many days on filling in paper.”

Ministers also stressed the need to rekindle the attractions of a farming career.

Currently, only 12% of EU farmers are under 40, with an average age of 57. Hansen identified this as a demographic challenge that must be addressed to ensure generational renewal in the sector.

The Luxembourgish Commissioner warned against the risk of overdependence on external food sources if the local agriculture sector falls, adding that the EU’s food security and sovereignty are non-negotiable in the future CAP talks.

“EU already has too many dependencies, but food will not be one of them,” he said.