The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been one of the most important areas of European policy since the unification of Europe.
The CAP has been continuously adapted to the changing living conditions in Europe. Globalisation, climate change and the strengthening of rural areas will shape the future profile of CAP. In this context the farming industry is located in the area of tension between social and ecological responsibility and the economic need for sustainable entrepreneurial action.
Classical support for agricultural prices is drawing to a close. The agricultural sector is oriented towards the market. Today farmers receive direct payments which are tied to conditions concerning for instance food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection. At the same time, 490 million people in the 27 Member States of the European Union benefit from a diverse food offering, uniform quality standards, protected indications of origin and designations of origin as well as extensive information obligations of manufacturers.
From 2023, the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will make European agriculture greener and more sustainable and provide a reliable and stable framework for the period up to 2027.
Direct payments represent a core element of EU agricultural support. This instrument supports the safeguarding of incomes and risk protection of agricultural holdings in the form of a payment that is not linked to production. These payments are intended to cushion the impact of the, in part, considerable fluctuations of agricultural prices.
The Joint Task for the "Improvement of Agricultural Structure and Coastal Protection" (Gemeinschaftsaufgabe "Verbesserung der Agrarstruktur und des Küstenschutzes"; GAK) is the most important national funding instrument for the support of agriculture and forestry, rural development and improvements in coastal and flood protection.
Agri-environment-climate measures (AECMs), organic farming and animal welfare measures are essential instruments for achieving environmental objectives under the Common European Agricultural Policy. The European Union’s legal framework requires at least 30 percent of funding to be in rural development programmes according to Article 59(6) of the EU Regulation on support for rural development (EAFRD).
Coupling EU farm payments with commitments in the fields of environmental protection, human, animal and plant health and animal welfare is defined as "cross-compliance".
The CAP has been one of the most important areas of European policy since the inception of European integration. The CAP has been repeatedly adjusted to take account of changes in living conditions in Europe. You can find answers to frequently asked questions concerning the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union here:
