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OPINION (COM(2025)0545 – C100166/2025 – 2025/0545(COD))

On the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework and other horizontal rules for the Union programmes and activities

AGRI-AD-786845

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development · Rapporteur: Maria Noichl

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The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development gives its opinion on the proposed regulation setting up a budget expenditure tracking and performance framework for Union programmes. It proposes amendments to bring impact indicators back, add food security and competitiveness tracking, and widen climate, environment and biodiversity spending rules. The amendments would require Member States to justify deviations from spending targets and let the Commission ask for action plans, add rules on rural essential services and land ownership transparency, and change the climate accounting system from three steps to five. They also add safeguards for farmers and small beneficiaries, limit data and reporting duties, and set dates for the regulation's application.

Committee position. The committee supports the general direction but proposes amendments to reintroduce CAP impact indicators, add food security and competitiveness tracking, strengthen accountability and transparency, raise the climate, environment and biodiversity target to 50%, and reform Rio markers to a five-step approach.

Key points

  1. The regulation would set a uniform system to track spending across all programmes, focus on performance rather than disbursement, and link political priorities to results.
  2. The committee wants impact indicators reintroduced for the common agricultural policy, since Member States already collect this data and it shows long-term effects.
  3. It proposes that Member States missing milestones submit a justification, and that the Commission may ask for an action plan with remedial actions and progress indicators.
  4. It calls for land ownership information in the Single Gateway to help address land concentration and improve transparency.
  5. It proposes a 50% spending target for climate, environment and biodiversity, and removal of the security and defence exception from Article 4.
  6. It proposes replacing the three-step with a five-step approach for accounting climate action in the EU budget.
  7. It adds a new article on competitiveness, economic resilience and mainstreaming, with competitiveness tracking and delegated acts on methodology.
  8. It adds rules on access to essential services in rural areas, using the DEGURBA classification and reporting at NUTS 3 level.
  9. It requires evaluations to cover competitiveness, food security, farm income, territorial impacts and trade policy standards.
  10. It limits reporting and data duties for farmers and small beneficiaries, and restricts processing of personal data on property and tenancy.
  11. It sets the regulation to apply from 1 January 2028, with Article 8(4) applying from 31 August 2027.

Who is affected

  • Farmers and agricultural beneficiaries: fewer reporting duties and safeguards for small and medium-sized farms.
  • Member States: must justify deviations from spending targets and may be asked to submit action plans.
  • Rural areas: performance reporting must cover access to essential services and territorial distribution.
  • The Commission: gains delegated powers on targets, competitiveness tracking and guidance.

Figures and deadlines

  • At least 35% of the total budget for climate, environment and biodiversity objectives over 2028-2034.
  • A 50% target for climate, environment and biodiversity objectives.
  • A 40% target already expected to be achieved by 2026.
  • Maximum deviation of 10% from the spending target in Annex III for individual policy areas within a programme.
  • Durable plaques or billboards required for operations with total cost exceeding EUR 150 000.
  • Regulation applies from 1 January 2028; Article 8(4) applies from 31 August 2027.
  • Implementation report for each programme or activity due no later than two years after start of implementation.
  • Member States must carry out at least one interim evaluation no later than three years after start of implementation.

Legal basis: Article 322(1), point (a), and Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.