60th anniversary of the common agricultural policy (CAP), time to celebrate and look forward

2022 marks the 60th anniversary of the common agricultural policy (CAP), one of the cornerstones of the European project that has provided EU citizens with a wide variety of high-quality food at affordable prices for decades. Sixty years since its birth, the original CAP objectives remain valid; food security and affordability, fair living standards for farmers and stable and reliable markets are more important than ever.

The recent crisis and international developments, such as the Covid-19 pandemic or the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have shown the importance of having a strong European policy able to ensure food production while maintaining, at the same time, some of the highest safety standards in the world. Looking to the future, the CAP is at a crucial turning point.

The new policy, that aims at enhancing the transition towards a more sustainable, resilient and fairer food production; will be a key tool in the achievement of the European Green Deal objectives contributing therefore to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of food production in the EU.

Ulrike MÜLLER (Freie Wähler), coordinator of Renew Europe in the Parliamentary Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development, welcomed on this anniversary day:

"From its onset, a main objective of the CAP has been to ensure food security. We should not forget this goal and implement the new CAP in a way to maintain food availability and affordability while improving the sustainability of the agricultural sector. I think that the new CAP provides a good framework to achieve this.”

Dacian CIOLOŞ (USR, Romania), former European Commissioner for Agriculture, added:

"For over 60 years, the CAP has been significantly refined with introduction of several reforms, by adding new dimensions, including the societal and environmental one. At the same time, the CAP preserved its main objective of ensuring food security across the EU, from which each of us is currently benefiting. The CAP architecture could be further enhanced by adapting it more to the expectation of our citizens, providing better opportunities and predictability of income for the farmers, as well as making this profession more attractive for new generations. Development of a modern and resilient European policy for agriculture, natural resources and rural areas remain among our main priorities for the next years”.