Modernising and simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy

The European Commission has launched a public consultation i on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, to provide input as we modernise and simplify it to take into account today's social, political, environmental and economic challenges.

The European Commission today launched the first phase of the modernisation and simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with the opening of a three-month public consultation.

The contributions received will support the Commission's work to define the agricultural policy priorities for the future. A modernised and simplified Common Agricultural Policy will address the key challenges that agriculture and rural areas are facing, contributing to the Commission's commitment to stimulating jobs and growth, to sustainable development, to a budget focused on results, and to simplification and subsidiarity.

The public consultation will run for 12 weeks and will give all interested parties the chance to have their say on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy. The input from the consultation will be used by the Commission to help draft a Communication, due by the end of 2017, that will include conclusions on the current performance of the Common Agricultural Policy and evidence-based policy options for the future.

The results of the public consultation will be published online and presented by Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan i at a conference in Brussels in July 2017.