As expected, the (strong) reactions against the single fund that will consolidate European policies, including CAP resources, were not long in coming. This fund is included among the new budget proposals that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will present to the Commission (see EFA News ). Copagri calls it an "unacceptable proposal," CIA calls it a "shameful and unspeakable attack on agriculture." And these are just two positions. Let's see.

"The reduction in agricultural funding, linked to cuts to the EU budget, combined with the consolidation of the CAP into a single fund to channel resources earmarked for other objectives, seriously jeopardizes food security in the European Union, as well as the viability and competitiveness of thousands of EU agricultural businesses." This was emphasized by the Copagri Executive Committee, meeting in Brussels.

"In addition to the negative consequences of what amounts to a true renationalization of EU agricultural policies," Copagri continues, "of particular concern is the disappearance of instruments such as the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), which have always been essential for ensuring business stability and enabling them to carry out necessary planning activities." The Executive Committee of the Confederation of Agricultural Producers emphasizes, criticizing, in particular, the merging of funds from the first and second pillars of the CAP—direct payments and rural development—with cohesion funds, an intervention that "significantly impacts the ability to promote targeted interventions for local development, innovation, and environmental sustainability."

“We cannot accept an approach that fails to provide adequate guarantees for income support, generational turnover, strengthening risk management tools, and promoting sustainability—understood in economic, environmental, and social terms—which, as we have long been repeating, are the priorities most felt by agricultural producers,” emphasized Copagri President Tommaso Battista , who has been in Brussels for days with Vice President Giovanni Bernardini .

"This is an unacceptable proposal," Battista continued, "which undermines European leadership, fragmenting agricultural policies and weakening the primary sector, creating clear disparities between member states and reducing the EU's ability to address global challenges such as food security, climate change, and the ecological transition."

All the trade unions—Coldiretti, Confagricoltura, Cia, Fedagripesca, Filiera Italia, etc.—have expressed strong opposition to the proposal.