On 14 July 2025, a decisive step was taken with the CAP 2025 reform in the European Parliament, marking a turning point in European agricultural policy for the period 2028-2034. The vote focused on a series of ambitious measures aimed at greening the CAP: capped agricultural subsidies, strengthened social and environmental criteria, and a merger of the two historical budgetary pillars. This text, adopted by a large majority, paves the way for complex negotiations with the Council of the EU and the Commission.
CAP 2025 reform in the European Parliament: a crucial stage before negotiations
The text supported by the Agriculture Committee provides for a ceiling on aid of €100,000 per farmer, with a gradual reduction from €20,000. Large farms, which are often less virtuous in environmental terms, will therefore see their aid fall from this threshold. Conversely, small farms, young farmers, women and areas with constraints will benefit fromdifferentiated and better-targeted aid.
Another major change is the merging of the two pillars of the CAP into a single fund, in order to simplify the rules and promote an integrated approach to agricultural, economic and climate issues.
This vote marks a turning point in Europe’s vision of agriculture. It is in line with the objectives of the Green Pact for Europe and seeks to align agricultural policy with climate commitments by 2030 and 2050.
A text supported… but hotly contested
Despite the support of a majority of parliamentary groups, this reform is attracting fierce criticism. The FNSEA, France’s main farmers’ union, has denounced a budget that is “in freefall”, falling from 387 billion euros for 2021-2027 to around 300 billion for 2028-2034. It sees this as a “scuttling” of the CAP’s economic ambitions in favour of an ecology of constraints.
The French Minister for Agriculture also expressed her reservations, believing that the text threatens European food security by weakening thecompetitiveness of French farms. She called for a more balanced approach between ecological transition and agricultural production.
Greening, transition and social justice
The reform aims to redirect support towards sustainable agricultural practices: reducing the use of pesticides, preventing deforestation, supporting biodiversity and developing the agro-ecological transition. These environmental requirements are accompanied by a drive for social justice, with incentives for young people, women and disadvantaged rural areas.
This is not simply a question of technical redistribution, but of redefining European agricultural priorities: towards a more resilient agriculture, less dependent on inputs, and socially fairer.
The merger of the CAP pillars – currently separated into direct payments and rural development – is dividing the trade unions. While some see it as a welcome simplification, others fear a loss of clarity and excessive centralisation of resources, to the detriment of food sovereignty.
The debate also touches on the nature of the indicators used: the environmental criteria are considered vague by some conservative MEPs, while environmental NGOs feel that they do not go far enough. The European Parliament will have to arbitrate between these contradictory pressures during the inter-institutional negotiations.
Decisive next steps for the 2025 CAP reform
The vote on 14 July is only an intermediate step. The forthcoming discussions with the European Commission and the Council of the EU will be crucial if the text is to be finalised by the end of 2025. This timetable is imperative to enable the Member States to draw up and validate their National Strategic Plans before the new CAP comes into force in 2028.
This debate reflects a conflict of visions within Europe: to produce more and more at lower cost, or to produce differently in order to preserve ecosystems and support local agriculture. In July 2025, the European Parliament chose the second path. It remains to be seen whether it will survive pressure from the most reluctant Member States.
