“The integration of the CAP into the NRPP Fund introduces significant uncertainty as regards the final budget envelope for agriculture and rural development.” These were the opening remarks of Piotr Całbecki (PL/EPP), Chair of the European Committee of the Regions’ NAT Commission, at a high-level multi-level dialogue about the proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034) and it's implications for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and rural development.
Całbecki warned that the proposed shift could weaken long-term planning and accountability unless the role of local and regional authorities is legally secured. “Whilst a portion of the CAP budget is ring-fenced, a substantial share remains flexible and is subject to competition from other policy areas,” he said, stressing that this would make outcomes harder to anticipate for farmers and managing authorities. He underlined that political signals must translate into enforceable guarantees: “We can welcome greater flexibility for Member States and regions in strategic planning to adapt interventions to local needs, but the Commission must guarantee fair conditions between Member States and regions.”
The dialogue brought together representatives of EU institutions, Member States, regions and stakeholders to examine the economic, environmental and social dimensions of the future CAP, and to ensure that rural development remains central to Europe’s resilience. Poland’s Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Stefan Krajewski emphasised that food security and rural vitality are inseparable, and that the EU’s diversity cannot become a pretext for fragmentation. “Today’s conference is proof that regions are the heart of European agriculture,” he said, insisting that reforms must preserve cohesion and equal opportunities across the Union. Echoing concerns voiced by several participants, he cautioned against shifting responsibilities to national budgets: “Limited budgetary support from the EU cannot be replaced by national budgets. We cannot allow for the nationalization of the common agricultural policy.”
Sari Rautio (FI/EPP), President of the EPP-CoR highlighted the democratic ownership and visibility of EU actions on the ground. “EU funding needs to be predictable, place-based, and co-owned by regions and cities,” she said, arguing that the proposed model risks centralising decision-making and weakening local buy-in. Stressing the Committee’s responsibility to anchor EU proposals in territorial realities, she concluded that “our responsibility in the CoR as political body is to make sure that the proposal is aligned with the needs of regions and cities, to the realities on the ground and thus to the expectation of our citizens.”
From the European Parliament, Norbert Lins (DE/EPP), EP rapporteur on the CAP for 2028–2034, stressed the political imperative to preserve the policy’s common character and prevent nationalisation and fragmentation of the policy. “Our mission in the European Parliament is to truly make the Common Agricultural Policy a COMMON European policy,” he said, adding that the European Parliament is working “to establish a unified CAP framework that ensures that European regions have a meaningful voice in shaping their agricultural plans.”
The local and regional dimension was further illustrated by Stefan Köhler (DE/EPP), MEP and Chair of the European Food Forum, who brought the example of Bavaria to the debate and warned that successful regional agri-environmental schemes must not be destabilised by an uncertain new architecture. “The proposals… have raised a lot of questions also for our European regions, such as my home state, Bavaria,” he said, pointing to established programmes like KULAP and contractual nature conservation measures as proof that well-designed regional instruments deliver. Looking ahead, he called for stronger guarantees: “We need legal certainty on every level and across all aspects of the architecture,” he said, pledging political vigilance: “I will fight for a strong, independent and well-funded CAP that respects the role and protects the achievements of our European regions.”
Rural development was highlighted as a strategic pillar for Europe’s demographic, social and economic resilience. Radim Sršeň (CZ/EPP), CoR rapporteur on the “Future of Rural Development 2028+”, warned against allowing rural areas to drift into long-term decline. “Rural areas can either become a museum or a vibrant and attractive place to live for all generations,” he said, calling for investment tools that reflect the complexity of rural realities. For Sršeň, the direction of travel must be unequivocal: “A holistic, place-based, integrated, multi-fund and multi-policy approach using sufficient resources is the only recipe for their future.”
In closing, Daniel Buda (RO/EPP), Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s AGRI Committee, underlined why the CoR is the right forum for shaping a policy that must work in every territory. “There’s no better place to discuss the CAP than here in the Committee of the Regions, because you can see the needs and realities,” he said, warning that ignoring territorial realities would make policymaking meaningless. He stressed that rural policy must be understood beyond agriculture alone: “The rural area isn’t just farmers. Rural areas go much beyond farming,” and argued that citizens’ ability to remain where they live depends on coherent investment in services and infrastructure.
The dialogue concluded with a clear message: negotiations on the next EU budget and CAP package must safeguard predictable financing, ensure meaningful partnership with local and regional authorities, and protect the capacity for long-term, place-based investment in rural areas—so that Europe’s farmers, communities and territories can plan with confidence and deliver resilient, sustainable growth.