Copa and Cogeca launch petition over CAP budget uncertainty
The presidents of Copa and Cogeca have launched a petition in Brussels, Belgium, today (June 19), in order to mobilise the European farming community against the idea of a "single fund".
Proposals on the format of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027 are set to be revealed by the European Commission next month.
Copa and Cogeca have expressed their concerns about a single fund, where the CAP could be diluted after 2027.
According to Copa and Cogeca, the approach being pursued by the European Commission contradicts both history and its own messages about the strategic importance of agriculture.
Last month (May), the farm organisations carried out flash action protests simultaneously in over 20 EU member states, where farming unions and representatives from the cooperative sector "offered a warning" to the EU Commission.
The groups believe that the future EU budget and CAP are critical, and must continue to support farmers' competitiveness in an increasingly tense global market.
It warned that without clarity or reassurance about the commission’s direction, further mobilisation is likely.
The president of Copa, Massimiliano Giansanti said: "On one hand, the commission tells us that agriculture is a priority. But what do the facts say?
"The commission is preparing a budget for 2028 – 2034 where agricultural funding will be reduced, where the CAP could lose its ‘common’ nature, and where we would again be discussing policies without knowing the available resources."
"All of this will be presented in the middle of summer, in July, right in the harvest season. That’s simply not acceptable, and that’s why we are calling for mobilisation through this petition," he added.
The president of Cogeca, Lennart Nilsson believes that the EU budget is a question of "political will".
He said: "The EU budget is, above all, a question of political will. The European Parliament has already sent a clear message to the commission: The single fund proposal is simply not acceptable, especially when it comes to agriculture.
"In a time of global uncertainty, climate challenges, economic shifts, and generational renewal, we know that agriculture plays a key stabilising role — and we cannot jeopardise its future with budgetary shortcuts," he added.
