EU member states' representatives of the EU Council have agreed the council's position on simplifying provisions related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

According to the EU Council, the aim is to boost the competitiveness of European agriculture by reducing red tape, supporting farmers, including new and young farmers, encouraging innovation and boosting productivity.

The proposal forms the so-called 'Omnibus III' package that was adopted by the EU Commission on May 14, 2025, to simplify EU legislation in the field of agriculture.

The package contains amendments to two of the three basic legislative acts establishing rules for CAP; the strategic plan regulation (SPR) and the 'horizontal' regulation.

Due to the "significant implications" of the package, the EU Council said that it has treated the initiative with "utmost priority", and is aiming to provide EU farmers with the necessary legal clarity regarding their obligations.

The proposed simplification measures could lead to significant reductions in administrative costs for both farmers and national administrations.

According to the EU Commission’s assessment, this simplification could lead to annual savings of up to €1.6 billion for farmers and more than €200 million for member states’ administrations.

The council's position maintains the general thrust of the EU Commission's proposal in support of the following objectives:

Easing the administrative burden for farmers and administrations, and reducing controls.
Increasing the payments to smaller farmers, and simplifying the rules on conditionality, in particular for organic farms.
Reducing on-the-spot checkes, and deleting of the annual performance clearance.

The EU Council's position maintains the commission proposal to allow member states to provide "crisis payments" to active farmers that are affected by natural disasters, adverse climatic events, or catastrophic events.

Such payments will ensure continuity of the agricultural activity of the affected farmers, according tot he EU Council.

The council has indicated that the EU Presidency is ready to negotiate with the EU Parliament, once the parliament reaches its own negotiating position, to reach a final position.