Assessment of the Common Agricultural Policy After 2020

Old and new challenges with respect to farm income support, the environment and climate, and territorial imbalances justify a further reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP). As compared to the CAP post-2013 reform, the new CAP post-2020 proposals imply a rebalancing of the responsibility between the EU and member states (MSs), allowing more freedom with respect to measure implementation and design to MSs (subsidiarity). Moreover, it shows enhanced ambitions with respect to the environment and climate by again revising the green architecture as well as with respect to innovation. However, there are fears that a negotiated new CAP may not be ambitious enough and can induce member states to low target levels, even though there seems to be a wide consensus about the general CAP objectives