A statement released today by CAP notes that the proposal by the European Commission “envisions a direct cut of 22% compared to the previous financial framework, exacerbated by the lack of adjustment for inflation, raising the effective cut to approximately 35% in current prices.”
The stance of “firm opposition to this proposal” has been communicated to the sector’s commissioner, Christophe Hansen. CAP described it as a “provocation to Portuguese and European farmers and a direct attack on Europe’s food sovereignty.”
CAP believes that the proposal for the nationalization of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will heighten inequalities between richer and poorer member states and exacerbate disparities in agricultural competitiveness, “jeopardizing the future of the rural world.”
The confederation also announced plans to launch a campaign with the European farmers’ umbrella organization, Copa-Cogeca, directed at the European Parliament to reject this proposal.
“Portuguese and European farmers will fight with all democratic means available to restore justice and present a new proposal with a robust budget that maintains the founding principles of the CAP—a successful policy, a pillar of the European project, and essential for the strategic autonomy of the European Union,” they assert.
The Association of Young Farmers of Portugal (AJAP) has also criticized the proposal for the CAP today, considering that it will have “dangerous consequences” and calls into question direct support to farmers.
Under the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034, the EU executive proposed on Wednesday a CAP framework which merges the current two pillars (annual direct payments and rural development, which provides multi-year support) into a single one, focusing on results-driven income support for farmers.
