Strategic Plans for CAP 2023-2027 will be simplified. EC invites consultation

The European Commission President’s Policy Guidelines 2024-2029 sets out an action plan for sustainable prosperity. It underscores the need to increase competitiveness to unlock opportunities, drive innovation and support growth in the European Union. The crises that Europe as a whole has faced in recent years have necessitated the need for simplification within the framework of regulations adopted and implemented. These changes will also include Strategic Plans for the Common Agricultural Policy.

The European Commission is consulting until July 28, 2025 on a proposal for a regulation introducing simplifications to the Strategic Plans for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027. It is therefore inviting all interested parties to submit opinions, comments or proposals to the proposal for a regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 with regard to the system of conditionality, types of intervention in the form of direct payments, types of intervention in certain sectors and rural development, and annual reporting on the achievement of objectives, and Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 with regard to data management and interoperability, suspension of payments, annual reporting on the achievement of objectives and controls, and penalties. This can be done through a questionnaire published on a special website. Submissions will be taken into account when developing the final form of this initiative.

Remember, your vote counts! Take part in the consultation.

General context

The agri-food sector is of great economic, social and environmental importance for Europe, and even greater for Poland. The total contribution of the country’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries to gross value added is twice as high as the European Union average, which is why it is so important to support it through well-targeted measures.

During the 2023-2027 period, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports farmers through National Strategic Plans (NP CAP), which were developed by member states to address economic, environmental and social issues.

The first year of PS CAP implementation coincided with the start of the war in Ukraine, which has significantly affected markets and EU agricultural policy. In addition, natural disasters and adverse climatic events are shaping the production of many farmers on an ongoing basis. In response to the crises and farmer protests that took place at the beginning of 2024, as well as discussions in the European Council on the challenges facing the agricultural sector, and feedback from the European Union institutions and stakeholders on the first year of implementation of the CAP SP, the European Commission has proposed a set of simplifications.

Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027

Financial support under the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027 is granted on the basis of a document, the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy. Within the framework of the assistance, the sustainable development of farms and the processing sector is supported, It is also important to strive to improve living and working conditions in rural areas, as well as to protect water, soils, air and biodiversity. In addition, the production and use of sustainable energy is promoted.

Financial support includes interventions in the form of direct payments, i.e.:

• basic income support,
• redistributive payment,
• payment for young farmers,
• Production-related support awarded in 13 sectors,
• ecoschemes (a component of the direct payment system that supports the implementation of practices focused on the environment, climate and animal welfare).

The CAP’s PS continues solutions already implemented, such as the young farmer’s premium, the LEADER initiative and farm modernization support.

Vision for agriculture

An important principle of the Vision for Agriculture and Food, published in February 2025, is close cooperation and dialogue between EU institutions, farmers and other agri-food stakeholders. It emphasizes that farmers should be entrepreneurs and suppliers, without unnecessary bureaucratic or regulatory burdens, in order to drive innovation and sustainability in agricultural practices. This vision, as well as concern for the diversity of the sector, calls for tailored approaches rather than one-size-fits-all solutions, along with a review of the reality of EU legislation and simplifications made possible by new technologies, such as automated reporting to reduce administrative burdens.

The Vision for Agriculture and Food identifies key areas of the current agricultural regulatory framework. However, some issues have been set aside and are to be discussed in the context of the post-2027 CAP.

Draft proposal for simplification of Strategic Plans for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2023-2027

The EC’s proposal to revise the CAP regulations, based on COM(2025) 236 of May 14, 2025, is a documented and technically sound attempt to address the administrative burden in agricultural policy. It reflects the need to reduce bureaucracy, especially for small and medium-sized farms, and attempts to respond to long-standing criticism from farming communities across Europe.

Given the situation facing the European agricultural sector and the vision for agriculture, the current proposal addresses key CAP issues as follows:

• Simplifying and streamlining on-farm requirements to better accommodate different situations and diverse farming practices;
• Improving support for smaller and medium-sized farms by encouraging member states and farmers to use simplified payments;
• increasing competitiveness;
• Providing more flexibility to member states in the management of CAP SPs.

More information about the planned changes can be found on the EC website.