The Common Agricultural Policy after 2027: the European Commission's proposal … 67 outside the ring-fencing, and, on the other hand, the need for greater budgetary availability to meet the increase in national co-financing of interventions within the CAP ring-fencing. 3. Position of the Portuguese Ministry of Agriculture and Sea The changes presented by the European Commission to the current CAP structure, within the scope of the MFF negotiation proposal for 2028-2034, justified by the need for greater flexibility and adaptation to national specificities, raise doubts as to the preservation of the truly common nature of the CAP. Under the argument of subsidiarity, there is an intention to increase the transfer of responsibilities to Member States, calling into question the coherence of policies and the level playing field in the internal market. This model of governance and financing therefore requires critical analysis of its impact on European unity and the capacity for a joint response to the economic, environmental and social challenges currently facing the agricultural and agri-food sector. In effect, the National and Regional Partnership Plan Regulation hinders the coherence of programming and weakens the construction of a common European vision (27 separate national plans). The excessive decentralisation of strategic decisions compromises the harmonisation of objectives and reduces the EU's ability to ensure an integrated approach to agricultural and rural development policies. Widespread co-financing, in particular the absence of maximum financial support amounts for measures outside the ring-fencing, paves the way for the renationalisation of the CAP, posing a serious threat in distorting the internal market. By allowing Member States to set national support levels unevenly, it undermines the common logic of agricultural policy and creates conditions for unfair competition between European producers. The absence of budgetary safeguards and uniform rules may, in the long term, compromise the founding principles of the CAP and undermine equity between different national markets. The proposed financial reduction for Portugal represents an effective decrease in available resources compared to the previous period, resulting in an effective loss of capacity for investment and implementation of public policies. This limitation compromises the country's ability to respond to growing challenges, such as financial market volatility, geopolitical instability and the worsening effects of climate change. The defence of a truly common CAP requires maintaining its architecture based on two pillars, direct income support and rural development support, complementary and interdependent. Only a robust and properly updated financial framework can guarantee the continuity of the objectives of cohesion, sustainability and competitiveness that justify the policy's existence. Any reduction in resources or fragmentation of the model threatens equity between Member States and weakens the European Union's ability to respond in a concerted manner to the global challenges that will shape the future of European agriculture. The CAP must continue to ensure food security, promote environmental sustainability, preserve the economic and social vitality of rural areas and strengthen the competitiveness of the European agricultural sector. It is essential to ensure, both for farmers and for national administrations, the necessary predictability for the exercise of their respective competences and the implementation of agricultural policies.
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