European Union's budget Commissioner sought to reassure farmers protesting outside the institution’s headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday for the first time in almost a year.
Farmers oppose a Commission plan to consolidate different EU funding streams, such as the bloc’s farming, regional subsidy and research funds, into a single budgetary pot.
While the idea has not yet been formally proposed, they fear the dismantling of the common agriculture policy (CAP), particularly of its support for rural development.
During an exchange on the sidelines of the protest witnessed by Euronews, budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin met with farmers’ representatives.
Farmers urged Serafin to safeguard a distinct agricultural budget, highlighting the need to support small farms and address the growing challenge of generational renewal in the sector.
They stressed the importance of protecting Europe’s food sovereignty and ensuring that CAP retains its core identity.
“Tout est clair [all is clear],” Serafin replied in French at the end of the meeting, assuring farmers he had understood their concerns.
He said he would relay their message to EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen.
“No decision has been taken yet,” Serafin pointed out, adding that the single-pot idea is still only at the conceptual stage. He added that he remains open to dialogue and welcomed continued discussion with the sector ahead of the presentation of the budget proposal.
As head of the Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG), Serafin is responsible for preparing the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s long-term budget.
The current MFF runs from 2021 to 2027, with the Commission expected to present its proposal for the 2028–2034 cycle in early July.
Farmers protested during the previous MFF negotiations in February 2020, opposing proposed cuts to CAP funding. While concerns over funding levels persist, the latest protest reflects deeper anxieties about the CAP’s structure.
One farmers’ representative warned during the meeting against giving member states too much leeway in implementing CAP – a trend reflected in recent efforts to simplify EU policies – claiming that would risk undermining the policy’s unity and common EU identity.
Speaking to Euronews after the meeting, a senior official for Copa-Cogeca, the EU farmers’ lobby, said Serafin’s openness to dialogue was a welcome outcome.
However, farmers remain sceptical about the future of rural development funding, which they fear may in future be forced to compete with general regional funding.
