EU agriculture ministers have agreed a partial negotiating position on new rules for the bloc’s common agricultural policy after 2027, setting out the Council of the EU’s stance ahead of talks with the European Parliament.
The draft regulation is part of negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget for 2028–2034, known as the multiannual financial framework (MFF), the Council said in a statement on Monday.
It described its position as “partial” because it does not cover financial and cross-cutting issues that are being discussed in the wider budget talks.
Under the proposed budget framework, existing EU funding streams — including agriculture support — would be brought together under a new “national and regional partnership plan” (NRPP), in which each member state would draw up a single plan replacing several current plans and programmes.
The NRPP would cover areas including cohesion, agriculture, fisheries, migration and security, and the social climate fund.
The Council said the post-2027 CAP would move away from its current two-pillar structure by merging the two existing agriculture funds into one structure, while keeping the tools and interventions used under the policy.
Funding details remain part of the broader budget negotiation, but the European Commission has proposed ringfencing around €300 billion for CAP income support and crisis measures, with additional funding potentially available through the national and regional partnership plans.
The final amount to be ringfenced would be agreed as part of the MFF talks.
Focus on active farmers, young entrants and crisis tools
The Council’s position backs the Commission’s “degressive area-based income support” (DABIS) — a proposed payment scheme designed to replace parts of the current system — and said it would allow support to be better targeted towards “active farmers”, as well as young and small farmers.
The Council added that it wants the definition of an active farmer to be mandatory for member states, while allowing national flexibility over the details.
Rules on reducing payments as farm size increases, and on any cap on support under DABIS, would be decided later as part of negotiations on the overall EU budget.
Member states would also have to provide higher income support for young farmers under DABIS and support them in setting up businesses, as well as put in place a “strategy for generational renewal” and a “starter pack for young farmers.”
On environmental requirements, the Council said the draft includes a “farm stewardship framework” setting common conditions for receiving support alongside incentives for practices such as protecting biodiversity and waterways.
The Council also backed stronger risk-management and crisis support, including help for tools such as insurance and investments to mitigate and adapt to climate impacts, and enabling member states to provide crisis payments after natural disasters, adverse climate events, or animal and plant disease outbreaks.
The agreement will allow the Council presidency to begin negotiations with the European Parliament on the final regulation, with the overall financial allocation dependent on the outcome of the 2028–2034 EU budget deal.
