On Tuesday, 18 November at 9:30am, the Socialists and Democrats will hold a high-level conference titled Cultivating tomorrow: the Post-2027 CAP and the Future of Agriculture and Food(opens in a new tab) at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Hosted by Dario Nardella, S&D AGRI coordinator, and Christophe Clergeau, S&D vice-president, the event will present the S&D Group’s position paper on the Post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (opens in a new tab)that was adopted on 2 September. S&D Group President, Iraxte García, will open the event, and Commissioner Christophe Hansen will deliver a keynote speech. Representatives of the European Commission, EU agriculture ministers, and key stakeholders from farming and food sectors will discuss the future of the CAP and the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPPs)*.
Christophe Clergeau, S&D vice-president for a healthy planet, healthy people and a sustainable food ecosystem, said:
“The next CAP must respond to citizens’ expectations and continue to deliver safe, high-quality and affordable food, food security, and farming that restores nature. Yet, the Commission’s latest proposal on the National and Regional Partnership Plans does not address the concerns – and risks weakening solidarity and fragmenting the European dimension of the policy.
“Tomorrow’s exchange with ministers, the Commission and stakeholders is essential to addressing these concerns. Only with dedicated, sufficient funding and strong European solidarity can we build a policy that truly responds to farmers’ urgent needs. The S&D Group will work to make this happen and deliver real, meaningful change – not cosmetic adjustments.”
Dario Nardella, S&D coordinator in the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, said:
“Too many farmers are struggling with incomes 40% lower than the European average, rising production costs and unfair competition. Contrary to the rhetoric of the last year, the latest proposal on the NRPPs fail to deliver on the Commission’s promises to uphold the strategic importance of agriculture and ensure a thriving sector and vibrant rural areas. Instead, the risks of renationalising a long-standing common policy and pitting farmers and citizens against each other persist.
“Our event will be a chance to discuss our vision on how the next CAP can deliver on food security, fairness and resilience, hear from farmers and the sector, and the steps ahead. Among our flagship demands are better-targeted direct payments to support small and medium-sized farms, active, young and new farmers, and, stronger tools to respond to market disturbances and natural disasters. We also ask for a Just Transition Fund for Agriculture, outside of the CAP, to guarantee the economic viability of EU farming and generational renewal. But Europe cannot achieve this with a smaller budget – nor without a truly European approach.”
The full programme is available here.
*The NRPPs (National and Regional Partnership Plans) are part of the European Commission’s 2028–2034 MFF proposal, which combine multiple EU funds (e.g. cohesion policy, agriculture, social policy) into 27 country-specific plans.
