7 Editorial At the start of this new reflection on the priorities for the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2028-2034, Cultivar is promoting the debate by contributing a consultation, which is naturally not exhaustive, with authoritative voices at both European and domestic level. The editorial in this edition takes on an exceptional format. The Director-General of the GPP, Eduardo Diniz, contributes at the end of the Major Trends section with an article that serves as an extended editorial, rendering his usual commentary in this space redundant. For this reason, the editorial team has opted to present only a brief summary of the articles that make up this edition. To begin with, Commissioner Christophe Hansen, in his Op-Ed, states that the future CAP post-2027 reinforces the EU's commitment to farmers, guaranteeing a minimum of €300 billion for income support and crisis management, including at least €7.4 billion for Portugal. The new CAP will be simpler, results-oriented and focused on sustainability, encouraging environmental and climate practices. It prioritises small farms, young farmers and generational renewal, dedicating 10% of funds to rural development. The author concludes: "Europe stands by its farmers. (...) We are making EU agricultural policy simpler and fairer, shaping a strong, sustainable and attractive farming sector for future generations." Alan Matthews' article critically analyses the European Commission's proposal for the CAP 2028-2034, highlighting the tensions between the promise of simplification and flexibility and the real risks of fragmentation, reduced environmental funding and loss of coherence in this common policy. The merging of funds, the increased complexity of governance and the absence of ring-fenced amounts for agrienvironmental actions raise concerns about the ability to simultaneously guarantee sustainability, equity and stability for European farmers. As the author summarises, the proposal "opened the possibility Photo by GPP - Brussels, 2024
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