The European Commission has published a report setting out recommended “best practices” for designing agri-environmental and climate actions under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027.
The report is intended to help EU Member States prepare their next national CAP plans by offering recommendations, practical steps and examples on how to design measures that work for farmers, the Commission said in a release on Tuesday.
It draws on an assessment of current CAP Strategic Plans for 2023 to 2027 and includes around 20 practical steps for shaping future schemes.
In the EU budget year 2025, about 28% of total public funding under CAP Strategic Plans was allocated to eco-schemes and agri-environmental and climate commitments.
Eco-schemes applied to more than 60% of EU agricultural area — 98.3 million hectares — while agri-environmental and climate commitments covered 12% of farmland, or 19.6 million hectares.
One instrument after 2027
From 2028, the Commission proposes combining today’s eco-schemes and agri-environmental and climate commitments into a single instrument called agri-environmental and climate actions, it said.
Eco-schemes are payments for voluntary environmental practices, while agri-environmental and climate commitments are longer-term schemes that also support specific actions.
Environmental and climate spending is expected to account for 43% of EU expenditure proposed under future National and Regional Partnership Plans after 2027.
The report also describes proposals including a “farm stewardship system”, support for green investments, and complementary tools such as advisory services, innovation, digitalisation and cooperation projects.
The Commission said payments under the proposed agri-environmental and climate actions would no longer need to be linked to additional costs and income foregone, provided they comply with World Trade Organization “Green Box” rules.
The report lists six factors it says are key to making future measures more effective, including clear practices and payments, targeting measures to regional and farm needs, result-based approaches, collective action at landscape level, and robust monitoring and control systems.
