European Parliament ready to start talks about simplifying CAP
MEPs today (Wednesday, October 7) voted for more "flexibility and support for farmers" in complying with existing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules.
MEPs today adopted a negotiating position for talks with the Council of the EU on simplifying the EU’s CAP with the text adopted by 492 votes to 111 and with 39 abstentions.
The European Commission had presented its simplification package of the current CAP back on May 14, 2025.
Today the rapporteur, Andre Rodrigues, from the group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, said MEPs were "sending the clear signal to nearly nine million farmers in the EU that Europe has listened".
"Enough of the bureaucratic maze they have to navigate, they will get simpler rules, less paperwork and more predictability.
"Negotiations with Council have to start without delay to reduce the administrative burden, increase funding for small farmers, and give time back to those who work the land, without undercutting our environmental ambition.
"We have to deliver a deal that works on the ground, cuts disproportionate penalties, and respects regional specificities, providing stability for Europe’s producers," he added.
CAP
MEPs want to introduce more flexibility into how farms can abide by the CAP’s environmental rules.
They agreed that not only farms that are certified as entirely organic should be automatically considered as meeting some of the requirements to maintain land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC), but also farms where only some parts are certified as organic, farms situated in special conservation areas and farms under 50 hectares in size.
Payments
Parliament is also against a new type of direct payment proposed by the European Commission for farmers who have been affected by natural disasters.
Instead MEPs believe crisis support for farmers should be compulsory for member states and animal disease outbreaks should be added to the list of events which qualify for financial support for farmers.
Small farmers
The European Parliament has also proposed increasing the maximum limits for the support of small farmers to an annual payment of up to €5,000 - rather than the €2,500 proposed by the European Commission - and a new one-off payment for business development of up to €75,000, instead of the the proposed €50,000.
In order to speed up the implementation of the new flexibility rules, MEPs say that in 2026, changes to the national strategic plans -based on this new law - can have legal effect before their formal approval by the European Commission.
Talks with member states are now scheduled to start tomorrow (Thursday, October 9) to potentially enable the final adoption of the new rules during a November 2025 plenary session.
