A series of changes to the rules governing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) came into force on 1 January 2018, laying out a simpler and more flexible approach to direct payments to farmers, rural development, common market organisation and horizontal aspects.

The changes to rural development rules introduce: improved risk management tools for farmers; reduced administrative burden of implementation, including selection and eligibility criteria; and simpler conditions for Financial Instruments – read a summary here.

These changes are part of the so-called Omnibus Regulation which will amend the Financial Regulation on the EU budget and a wide range of related legislation.