The EU member states after more than twelve hours of talks in Brussels have reached a partial agreement on the structure of the future Common Agricultural Policy. The decision sets out the policy's main directions after 2027, but leaves out the financial framework and amounts. Spain's Agriculture Minister Luis Planas called it a satisfactory result and emphasised that the agreement took up the main lines that Spain had agreed with professional associations, cooperatives and regions.
According to the Council of the European Union The approach aims to target support to producers more effectively, simplify administrative procedures, and strengthen the sector's resilience and competitiveness. It envisages a more unified structure that brings together national and, where applicable, regional implementation plans. The structure now confirmed establishes a political framework, but does not replace decisions on the budget.
Negotiations remain open on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, which will set the scale and distribution of Common Agricultural Policy funding. Governments have been cautious in their comments on this. Madrid has said for months that Spain wants to preserve at least the current level of spending and has warned against models that could force member states to provide greater co-financing. This could, it fears, encourage distortions of competition in the internal market.
The partial agreement comes amid ongoing protests and complaints by farmers in several EU countries. According to the Council, it addresses, among other things, predictability for businesses and administrations, and is intended to give member states early guidance as they draw up national strategies. However, specific aid rates, allocation keys and funding shares remain part of ongoing talks on the EU's long-term budget.
Government representatives and Council bodies clearly distinguish in their statements between the institutional principles now agreed and the budget decisions still to come. No reliable statements can be made at the time of the agreement about the final funding totals or payments. For Spain, this marks a political step forward, but the key question of how much money, in euros, will be allocated to the future policy will be decided only later in the EU-level budget negotiations.
Spain's government sees the agreed structure as a basis for working with the sector on national implementation. Luis Planas said that talks with associations and regions would continue until final decisions had been made on the financial framework and detailed instruments.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).