‘Simplification, not deregulation’: European Parliament seeks balance between relief for farmers and environmental goals in CAP simplification discussion
The European Parliament’s agriculture committee (AGRI) held a preparatory meeting last week to begin examining the European Commission’s CAP simplification package.
By Euractiv | 15 Oct 2025
MEPs across all political groups expressed general support for the Commission’s objective of reducing administrative burdens on farmers, while some warned against undermining the EU’s environmental commitments.
“The renationalisation of environmental measures is detrimental to Europe’s competitiveness and undermines the level playing field we are trying to maintain,” said EPP Chair Norbert Lins, in an interview with Euractiv following the preparatory meeting.
Simplifying the CAP to meet farmers’ needs
The Commission’s CAP simplification package was introduced in March earlier this year, in response to farmers’ protests. It touches on the system of conditionality, direct payments and support for rural development. The proposal aims to offer greater flexibility for Member States and simplify access to farms affected by natural disasters.
“The conditionality framework will be better adapted to the diversity of agricultural practices, notably by recognising the specific characteristics of organic farming,” Commissioner Cristophe Hansen said in his opening speech, addressed to the Plenary.
Additionally, Commissioner Hansen claimed the adoption of the proposal would result in strengthening support for small and medium-sized farms, an increase in the annual flat-rate payments from €1,250 to €2,500, and reducing environmental standards, “without sacrificing our climate goals.”
Farmers’ organisations, such as Copa and Cogeca, have showed their support for the Commission’s simplification efforts. However, critics warn that these changes could weaken compliance with the Green Deal.
‘The renationalisation of environmental measures is detrimental to Europe’s competitiveness’
In an interview with Euractiv, committee chair Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany) warned against “renationalising” the CAP under the banner of simplification.
“It’s about making the rules of the game easier to follow, not removing them,” he said. “Farmers need clear, stable rules and support that rewards their work rather than penalising them for non-compliance.”
When asked about the tone of negotiations within the committee, the EPP chair described the discussion as “constructive”, with all sides recognising the need to make farmers’ lives easier. However, he warned against “overloading the proposal with ideological demands,” as doing so risked “undermining the very farmers they claim to protect.”
The EPP chair said the committee’s priority for the coming weeks is to establish a “strong and coherent position” ahead of trilogue talks with the Council and Commission, expected to begin in early December.
‘Genuine convergence’ predicts compromise
Rapporteur André Rodrigues (S&D, Portugal) expressed his support for the Commission’s proposal in his speech, highlighting the need to “reduce administrative burdens, make greater use of simplified payments and adjust conditionality and reporting.” He believes it is possible to achieve a unified position before the trilogues.
“There’s genuine convergence on cutting red tape and making simplified payments actually usable by small and young farmers: nobody wants farmers stuck behind a desk,” he told Euractiv. “Where views start to diverge is on how far to relax GAECs and conditionality.”
Rodrigues noted that the weakening of environmental standards received the most pushback from the Plenary, and reinforced the need to achieve “simplification without a backdoor to deregulation.”
Environmental concerns at the heart of the debate
MEPs from the Greens and The Left voiced stronger criticism, warning that excessive exemptions could weaken the EU’s environmental framework through its “neoliberal deregulation,” as said by MEP Luke Ming Flanagan (The Left, Ireland).
“We are concerned about the Commission's proposals for relaxing environmental norms, reducing GAEC requirements and increasing flexibility in applying these norms,” said Thomas Waitz (Greens, Austria) during the discussion. “It is completely illusory to think that European agriculture can be competitive if it cannot adapt to climate regulations.”
Several speakers also highlighted the lack of an impact assessment as a procedural flaw but agreed it should not delay implementation.
A tight timeline for the Parliament
In order to allow Member States to amend their national CAP Strategic Plans in time for the 2026 claim year, the Parliament seeks a first reading agreement.
Rodrigues expressed confidence in this scenario. “Deadlines concentrate minds,” he remarked. “Groups can unify around a package that keeps GAECs functional, delivers immediate time-savings for small, young, and organic farms, and streamlines the performance routine.”
Lins reiterated that the next step for the committee is to prepare for the upcoming trilogue, underlining the need for Parliament to show unity when negotiations begin on 2 December.