Simplification of the CAP
Simplifying the CAP is essential to making our agricultural economy more competitive, preserving and creating jobs and contributing to a sound development of our rural areas.
Simplifying the CAP is an ambitious project as agricultural and rural development policies are by nature complex. Simplification must be compatible with broad policy objectives such as
- the environment,
- food safety,
- cohesion and
- protection of the Union’s financial interests.
The purpose of simplification is to ensure that
- policies,
- the mechanisms chosen to implement them and
- the necessary legal framework
are never more complex than is necessary to achieve the intended objectives effectively.
Farmers and other economic operators in the agricultural sector should be relieved from red-tape and requirements that are not needed to reach political objectives or to ensure proper management of taxpayers' money.
During the past years, a great number of projects and activities to simplify the CAP and to cut red tape for farmers have been carried out successfully.
Here are just some examples from a long list:
- A single Common Market Organisation (CMO) replaced the previously existing 21 CMOs. Its creation allowed the repeal of 86 Council acts and replaced more than 1080 legal articles with around 350.
- The 2009 "Health Check" further decoupled and abolished several schemes, such as payments for energy crops and durum wheat as well as the disposal scheme for cream, butter and concentrated butter.
- For imports, licence requirements were reduced from 500 to 65 and for exports, only 43 licence requirements remain.
- The Commission repealed specific marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetables, meaning operators no longer face compliance costs, national authorities no longer need to carry out controls and less produce will be wasted.
- Farmers are no longer required to keep land at their disposal for 10 months to receive direct payments, thus gaining greater flexibility in their farm management and in responding to market developments.
More information
CAP reform
A simpler and more efficient CAP is one of the objectives of the CAP reform proposals.
>> Watch the video clip 
[8 MB] 
Cleaning up of agricultural rules
The Common Agricultural Policy is shaped by a vast number of rules. On a regular basis these rules are reviewed and obsolete elements and rules that have no practical relevance are removed from the CAP.
>> See the list of acts to be removed from the active acquis 
(08/11/2011)
List of 39 suggestions - assessment
A Commission staff working document of November 2009 describes the outcome of an assessment of 39 simplification suggestions, submitted at the Council (Agriculture/Fisheries) on 24 April 2009, and the state of play of other simplification activities
>> Read the working document [308 KB]
2009 Communication: "A simplified CAP for Europe - a success for all"
This Commission Communication highlights the activities that have been carried out since 2005, and provides indications of the resulting reduction in administrative burden for farmers and administrations.
>> Read the summary [21 KB]
2005 Communication: "Simplification and Better Regulation for the Common Agricultural Policy"
In this Communication the European Commission proposed a major simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy with the aim to reduce red tape for both farmers and administrations by making rules more transparent, easier to understand and less burdensome to comply with.
Evaluations of administrative burden
Pillar II: "Study on administrative burden reduction associated with the implementation of certain Rural Development measures" (08/2011)
Pillar I: "Study to assess the administrative burden on farms arising from the CAP" (11/2007)
Rolling Simplification Action Plan
In a working paper of October 2006 the Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development set up an Action Plan for the simplification of the CAP.
>> Read the Action Plan [134 KB]
>> State of play (01/11/2012) [365 KB]
Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens
In a 2009 Communication the Commission published an overview of its "Action Programme for Reducing Administrative Burdens in the EU - Sectoral Reduction Plans and 2009 Actions".
Opinion of the High Level Group
In March 2009 the High Level Group of Independent Stakeholders on Administrative Burdens generally known as the Stoiber Group, published its opinion on administrative burden reduction in the priority area 'Agriculture / Agricultural Subsidies'.
The Harvest Experience Programme
The programme whose implementation started in 2010 has for objective to give Commission officials a deepened understanding of the reality on the field and of the challenges faced by the agricultural sector, so as to make them better placed to draft policies and legislation that connect with that reality.
>> Read more on the Harvest Experience Programme [16 KB]