On guidelines for the 2026 budget – Section III

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OPINION

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:

1. Highlights the crucial role of agricultural and rural development policies, particularly the common agricultural policy (CAP), in ensuring fair incomes for farmers, fostering sustainable food systems and guaranteeing the viability of EU agricultural production;

2. Calls on the Commission to draw up its estimates, taking into account the impact on the level of payment appropriations of the closure of rural development programmes under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the acceleration of disbursement under the CAP strategic plans; underlines the importance of avoiding a shortage of payment appropriations in this context and calls on the budgetary authority to remain vigilant in that regard;

3. Upholds the promotion of EU agricultural products to boost their competitiveness and relevance, including on external markets;

4. Stresses the need for a stronger and more reactive agricultural reserve to cope with unpredictable external factors, such as extreme weather events or the geopolitical context, which can impact agricultural production and markets;

5. Opposes any proposals to reduce the level of pre-allocated funds from the CAP in the future budget;

6. Underlines the importance of increasing funding for research, development and innovation in the agriculture and agri-food sector, as in the Horizon Europe research programme;

7. Welcomes the digital transformation in agriculture and rural areas to improve the efficiency, sustainability and precision of agricultural systems, ensuring more effective use of the EU’s budgetary resources;

8. Urges the Member States to step up their efforts to promote generational renewal in the agricultural sector and rural areas by enhancing support measures that make farming jobs more attractive and by improving access to land and credit, particularly for women and young people.