Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 – mid-term evaluation

The European Commission is inviting comments and opinions until April 6, 2026, as part of the planned mid-term evaluation of the Common Agricultural Policy 2023-2027 (CAP 2023-2027). It will analyze progress in achieving the European Union’s common goals for social, economic and environmental sustainability in agriculture and rural areas.

General background

Since 1962, support for farmers and food security in Europe has been provided by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), one of the pillars of Union policy. The CAP has been reformed several times to adapt it to the prevailing needs of the time and to reflect changing economic, social and environmental priorities.

The new CAP implementation model introduced in 2023 has shifted the focus from compliance to outputs and outcomes, monitored through common indicators and milestones. From 2023 to 2027, the CAP supports farmers through national Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plans (CAP SPs), which were developed and adopted by member states to address current issues in the sector.

The assistance supports the sustainable development of farms and processing, the pursuit of improved living and working conditions in rural areas, as well as the protection of water, soils, air and biodiversity. The first year of implementation of the CAP SP coincided with the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which significantly affected markets and EU agricultural policy. Also, natural disasters and adverse climatic events are shaping the current production of many farmers.

Common Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy is one of the most important policies of the European Union. It supports the agricultural sector through subsidies, particularly direct payments. It is financed through two EU funds: The European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), which provides direct support and finances market measures, and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), which finances rural development.

The budget for the CAP 2023-2027 is about 387 billion euros, which is about 30 percent of EU funding for 2021-2027.

CAP 2023-2027 objectives and indicators

The CAP defines specific and cross-cutting objectives, which include:

• Supporting decent farm incomes and resilience across the Union to enhance food security;
• Increasing market orientation and competitiveness, including a greater focus on research, technology and digitization;
• Improving the position of farmers in the value chain;
• Contribute to mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, as well as to sustainable energy production;
• Promoting sustainable development and efficient management of natural resources such as water, soil and air;
• Contributing to biodiversity conservation, strengthening ecosystem services, and protecting habitats and landscapes;
• Attracting young farmers and facilitating business development in rural areas. Promoting employment, growth, social inclusion and local development in rural areas, including bioeconomy and sustainable forestry;
• Improving EU agriculture’s response to society’s food and health needs, including safe, nutrient-rich and sustainable food, as well as animal welfare;
• Cross-cutting objective – to modernize the sector by supporting and sharing knowledge, innovation and digitization in agriculture and rural areas and encouraging their use.

The above goals are implemented in three areas:

• Economic: Ensuring decent incomes, increasing competitiveness (including through innovation and digitization), and improving farmers’ position in the value chain.
• Social: Attracting young farmers, supporting rural development (including LEADER), and improving animal welfare.
• Environmental: Climate change mitigation, sustainable resource management (water, soil, air), biodiversity conservation.

The implementation of the CAP PS is monitored by a system of indicators, which include:

• Output Indicators (Output Indicators): Measure the physical implementation of interventions (e.g., number of beneficiaries, area supported);
• Result Indicators (Result Indicators): Measure the direct effects of interventions, e.g.: support for small farms;
• Ecoschemes: Area under environmental and climate commitments;
• Context and impact indicators: Used to assess the long-term impact of the CAP.

Evaluation of the CAP 2023-2027

It will cover the period from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2025; however, it may also refer to the 2014-2022 period (the previous CAP period plus transition years) to establish trends and a baseline for comparison and contextual purposes.

According to the plan, the evaluation of CAP 2023-2027 will focus on whether the new CAP implementation model and the activities programmed under the CAP SP will achieve results in line with the objectives and outcome indicators.

The assessment will cover the basic legal framework – Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 – and its implementation through the CAP PS, as well as relevant implementing and delegated acts directly shaping CAP implementation, the implementation framework and eligibility or conditionality and reporting requirements.

In addition to progress in implementation, the evaluation will also look at aspects such as administrative burden, simplification, coherence of the strategy, the EU added value of the CAP compared to national efforts, and whether the agricultural policy remains relevant to changing needs and emerging challenges.

Public consultation

The purpose of the consultation, which runs until April 6, 2026, is to inform the approach to the assessment and gather evidence and information for it.

As parties on whose views it counts, the EC identifies farmers, CAP beneficiaries; producer organizations/cooperatives and actors in the broader agri-food chain; national/regional administrations, including CAP management institutions and paying agencies; advisory service providers/agricultural knowledge and innovation systems; civil society (i.e., environmental/climate, animal welfare, consumer and rural community organizations); social partners/employee representatives; researchers, scientists and evaluators.

Next steps

Stakeholder opinions have been or will be gathered by the European Commission through the following initiatives:

• Invitations to comment and targeted consultations, such as with civil dialogue groups;
• consultations with the European Agriculture and Food Council on the CAP 2023-2027;
• dialogue on CAP implementation held in June 2025;
• consultations on the application of regulations in practice – focused on how EU forestry and environmental regulations work in practice, held in October 2025;
• Consultation on food chain, unfair trade practices – scheduled for March 2026;
• interviews, discussions and surveys conducted as part of research commissioned by the European Commission.

Comments and opinions can be submitted until April 6, 2026 via a form on the Commission’s website. Adoption of the assessment is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.

By December 31, 2027, in accordance with Article 141(6) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, the European Commission plans to report to the European Parliament and the Council on the first results of the CAP 2023-2027.

The assessment will also be used in the debate on the CAP for 2028-2034.

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In preparing the article, I used:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/16032-Wspolna-polityka-rolna-2023-2027-ocena-srodokresowa_pl

https://www.gov.pl/web/rolnictwo/plan-strategiczny-dla-wspolnej-polityki-rolnej-na-lata-2023-27