Editorial 9 Marques and Eduardo Lopes, presents a description of the Commission's new proposal, as well as the position taken by Portugal, pointing out that the proposal integrates agriculture into a more complex and cofinanced common fund, reducing the truly common nature of the policy and creating risks of renationalisation, unfair competition and loss of strategic coherence. The next articles are the ones we received in response to our reflection proposal sent to various national organisations in the form of a list of topics considered relevant in this context. The articles may respond more or less directly to the suggested topics or present each organisation's position on what it considers most relevant for the future of the CAP and related policies. Idalino Leão presents CONFAGRI's comprehensive reflection on the challenges and guidelines of the CAP 2028-34, advocating the maintenance of its founding objectives, the strengthening of agricultural production and competitiveness, balanced policies between the environment and the economy, and a simpler CAP, focused on active farmers and adapted to territorial realities. The article by the Technical Department of the Confederation of Portuguese Farmers, argues that the European Commission's proposal for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, by integrating the CAP into a single fund, reduces its autonomy, complicates management and financing, and threatens food security, posing a serious risk to the Portuguese agroforestry sector. Vítor Rodrigues, from the CNA, states that the future of the CAP requires a reinforced budget, the maintenance of the two pillars, effective market regulation and a fair redistribution of aid, in order to guarantee decent incomes for farmers, supporting those who actually produce and ensuring food sovereignty and the vitality of rural areas. Jorge Rita, from the São Miguel Agricultural Association, argues that the future of the CAP should preserve a differentiated approach for the outermost regions, while guaranteeing autonomy and strengthening POSEI as an essential condition for the viability, competitiveness and sustainability of agriculture in the Azores, given its structural constraints. The president of the LPN, Pedro Bingre do Amaral, maintains that, in view of the possible extinction of the LIFE programme, the CAP 2028-2034 should take on a central and more ambitious role in biodiversity conservation, integrating financing, innovation and payments geared towards ecological results, in close alliance with farmers. Opening the Reviews section, we present an analysis by Pedro Miguel Santos, from Consulai, of the recent JRC study on scenarios for the CAP in 2040. Next, we analyse four studies relevant to the reflection on public policies and strategic options for the European Union: a document from the Bruegel group, the socalled Draghi and Letta reports, and a recently published OECD report aptly titled “Finding the right balance in uncertain times”. This edition of Cultivar No. 34 is accompanied by a Supplement (currently available only in Portuguese), which aims to provide an overview of the sector's evolution since Portugal joined the then European Economic Community in 1986 to the present day, while also presenting a picture that looks to the future and can support the reflection that lies ahead. The two complementary articles by Ana Rita Moura and Rui Trindade, from the GPP, show that national agriculture and forestry are essential for the economy, the territory and sustainability, although they face challenges at various levels. The first article begins by drawing attention to the recent change in methodology in the National Accounts estimates. It then analyses the evolution of the agroforestry complex, highlighting trends such as the reduction in its weight in GVA and employment, the growth in exports and the impacts on the sector. The second article addresses the productive structure, the ageing of farmers, land concentration, climate change, as well as the challenges of forest management, proposing an integrated vision for reflection on the future of rural territories.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTgxOTE4Nw==