Evolution of the Common Agricultural Policy 59 Article 39 TFEU4 (formerly Article 33 TEC) 1. The objectives of the common agricultural policy shall be: a) to increase agricultural productivity by promoting technical progress and by ensuring the rational development of agricultural production and the optimum utilisation of the factors of production, in particular labour; b) thus to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, in particular by increasing the individual earnings of persons engaged in agriculture; c) to stabilise markets; d) to assure the availability of supplies; e) to ensure that supplies reach consumers at reasonable prices. 2. In working out the common agricultural policy and the special methods for its application, account shall be taken of: a) the particular nature of agricultural activity, which results from the social structure of agriculture and from structural and natural disparities between the various agricultural regions; b) the need to effect the appropriate adjustments by degrees; c) the fact that in the Member States agriculture constitutes a sector closely linked with the economy as a whole. Reform of the CAP for 2013-2020 – Introduction of the so-called ‘redistributive payment’, aimed at reducing the disparity between aid per hectare in different regions and between large and small farmers, and the possibility for Member States to retain up to 30% of direct aid for redistributive purposes (with transfer to the second Pillar). As part of the replacement of the single payment with a system of component payments (basic payment, young farmers, small farms, etc.), new environmental rules are introduced, allowing for the payment of an ecological component known as Greening, including: 5% of areas of ecological interest; maintenance of permanent grassland and the existence of a minimum of three different crops in the same agricultural area over time (crop rotation). There is a demand for greater competitiveness, combined with greater concern for environmental sustainability, the resilience of the agricultural sector and adaptation to climate change. Reform of the CAP for 2021-2027 – Given the initial ambition of the European Green Deal, a new approach was introduced, giving Member States the autonomy to draw up strategic plans based on their needs and in line with EU-level objectives, with a stronger focus on the environment and climate. This was done either through the dependence of funding on compliance with Union environmental and climate legislation, with incentives in the context of direct payments, known as eco-schemes, or in the context of rural development, with ring-fencing establishing a minimum value for the proportion of the CAP budget in each Member State allocated to the environment and climate, as well as greater prioritisation of young farmers and small farmers in the first pillar. This reform has been subject to several simplification measures, notably through the OMNI-BUS III package3, resulting in the adaptation of some measures of the CAP Strategic Plan in light of anticipated requirements, particularly with regard to environmental and climate issues. The review process for the CAP 2028-2034 is currently underway, which is the theme of this edition of Cultivar. The CAP in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 3 https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2025/11/10/simplification-council-and-parliament-strike-deal-to-simplifycommon-agricultural-policy-cap/ 4 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT:en:PDF (p.16-17)
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