opinion parliamentary committee draft, 27 May 2026
On general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2027 – all sections
Document AGRI-PA-788971 · (2026/0000(BUD))
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development · Rapporteur: Wouter Beke
Full text
Opinion 35 paragraphs
The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development calls on the Committee on Budgets, as the committee responsible, to incorporate the following into its motion for a resolution:
General budgetary considerations
1.Takes note of the Commission’s draft budget for 2027 while stressing that it constitutes the final year of the 2021–2027 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and therefore plays a crucial role in ensuring continuity, stability and credibility of Union policies, in particular the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP);
2.Recalls that agriculture is a strategic sector for the Union, essential for food security, food production, rural vitality and Europe’s strategic autonomy, especially in a context marked by geopolitical instability, climate-related pressures, increasing global competition and market volatility;
3.Stresses that the 2027 budget must ensure continuity and predictability for farmers and rural communities ahead of the next MFF and avoid disruptions in CAP payments, rural development programmes and investment commitments;
4.Reiterates its opposition to reductions in CAP appropriations or attempts to weaken the CAP as a distinct and common Union policy; underlines that agricultural expenditure should not serve as an adjustment variable for financing other Union priorities;
5.Highlights that inflation, rising input costs, administrative burdens and increasing regulatory requirements continue to erode the real value of CAP support and negatively affect the competitiveness and profitability of European farms;
6.Insists that the 2027 budget must provide adequate resources for the implementation of the simplification agenda for the CAP, with a view to reducing the administrative burden on farmers and national authorities and ensuring that simplification translates into tangible benefits at farm level;
Fair remuneration, market stability and crisis preparedness
7.Emphasises that ensuring fair remuneration and viable incomes for farmers must remain at the core of Union agricultural policy and budgetary priorities;
8.Calls for sufficient appropriations to strengthen market stability and resilience in the face of geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, climate events and sanitary crises affecting the agricultural sector;
9.Stresses that, given the cumulative pressures farmers are facing, the 2027 budget must ensure that the agricultural reserve is robust and adequately funded in order to respond rapidly and effectively to market disturbances, extreme weather events and animal or plant health crises;
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10.Calls for reinforced support for risk-management and prevention tools, including insurance schemes, early-warning systems and veterinary and phytosanitary measures;
11.Highlights that rising fertiliser prices, supply disruptions and reduced affordability of key agricultural inputs place significant pressure on farmers across the Union; calls therefore for adequate support measures to ensure farmers’ access to fertilisers and to reduce the Union’s vulnerability to external supply shocks while safeguarding agricultural productivity and food security;
Trade, promotion and competitiveness
12.Underlines that, in a context of trade challenges, including market barriers, tariffs and instability, adequate funding for promotion programmes is essential in order to support EU agri-food exports, open up new markets and strengthen Europe’s food security and strategic autonomy;
13.Stresses that European agriculture must remain competitive and capable of ensuring strategic food production while maintaining high quality, sustainability and safety standards;
14.Insists that the principle of reciprocity must be reflected in the 2027 budget through adequate funding for sanitary, phytosanitary and customs controls at the Union’s external borders, in order to ensure that imported agri-food products comply with the required production standards and to ensure a level playing field for European farmers; calls for sufficient appropriations to support sectors most exposed to the cumulative effects of trade agreements;
Rural development and generational renewal
15.Reaffirms the importance of rural development funding in maintaining vibrant rural areas, supporting employment, social cohesion and territorial balance, and addressing depopulation and demographic decline;
16.Stresses that, as the implementation of the CAP Strategic Plans progresses throughout the current programming period, the 2027 budget must reflect the actual needs in payment appropriations under the EAFRD in order to avoid delays in payments and ensure legal certainty for beneficiaries;
17.Insists that generational renewal is one of the most pressing structural challenges facing European agriculture, with less than 12 % of EU farm managers under the age of 40, and that the 2027 budget must reflect the political ambition to reverse this trend; Underlines therefore the need for targeted support measures for young and new farmers, including improved access to land, finance, training and innovation;
Innovation, sustainability and resilience
18.Emphasises that the challenges faced by farmers require continued investment in innovation, digitalisation and sustainability;
19.Calls for increased support for research, innovation and digitalisation in agriculture, including precision farming, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new genomic techniques, irrigation systems and practical farm-level solutions improving productivity and resilience; stresses that EU farmers must have timely and affordable access to these tools;
20.Stresses that Horizon Europe funding dedicated to agriculture, food systems and rural innovation must be safeguarded and remain accessible to farmers, research institutions and rural stakeholders across the Union;
21.Highlights the importance of ensuring that innovation and new technologies remain accessible to farmers of all sizes and across all regions, including through improved rural connectivity and advisory services;
22.Supports balanced and pragmatic approaches to sustainability, climate adaptation and environmental protection that do not undermine farm viability, food production and the economic sustainability of rural areas;
23.Calls for reinforced investment in water resilience, irrigation modernisation, water retention, soil health and adaptation to increasingly frequent droughts, floods and extreme weather events;
24.Stresses the strategic importance of reducing the Union’s dependence on imported plant proteins and calls for adequate appropriations to support the implementation of a robust European protein strategy, including investment in research, breeding, processing capacity and value chains for leguminous crops and other protein sources;
Future outlook
25.Stresses that the final year of the current MFF should provide a solid basis for the post-2027 CAP and avoid creating funding gaps, uncertainty or disruptions during the transition to the next programming period;
26.Concludes that the 2027 budget must strike a careful balance between continuity, resilience, competitiveness and preparedness for future challenges, while ensuring that the CAP remains adequately funded and capable of supporting European farmers and rural communities.
ANNEX: DECLARATION OF INPUT
The rapporteur for opinion declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his draft opinion input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.