The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013

After a wide-ranging public debate the Commission presented on 18 November 2010 a Communication on "The CAP towards 2020", which outlines options for the future CAP and launched the debate with the other institutions and with stakeholders. On 12 October 2011 the Commission presented a set of legal proposals designed to make the CAP a more effective policy for a more competitive and sustainable agriculture and vibrant rural areas.

On 26 June 2013 a political agreement on the reform of the CAP has been reached between the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. The agreement relates to four basic European Parliament and Council regulations for the Common Agriculture Policy – i) on Direct Payments, ii) the Single Common Market Organisation (CMO), iii) Rural Development and, iv) a Horizontal Regulation for financing, managing and monitoring the CAP.

Rural development policy will retain its current, successful foundation concept: Member states or regions will continue to design their own multi-annual programmes on the basis of the menu of measures available at EU level – in response to the needs of their own rural areas. These programmes will be co-funded from the national envelopes – where the amounts and rates of co-funding will be dealt with within the context of the MFF (Multi-annual Financial Framework). It will be up to Member States / regions to decide which measures they use (and how) in order to achieve targets set against six broad "priorities" and their more detailed "focus areas" (sub-priorities), on the basis of sound analysis. The six priorities will cover:

Fostering knowledge transfer and innovation;
Enhancing competitiveness of all types of agriculture and the sustainable management of forests;
Promoting food chain organisation, including processing and marketing, & risk management; Restoring, preserving & enhancing ecosystems;
Promoting resource efficiency & the transition to a low-carbon economy; and
Promoting social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in rural areas.

Member States will have to spend at least 30 % of their rural development funding from the EU budget on certain measures related to land management and the fight against climate change, and at least 5 % on the LEADER approach.