France's agricultural goals achieved

France's Ministry of Agriculture stated on October 27 that it had secured significant progress in negotiations with other EU member states regarding the future PAC (Common Agricultural Policy) for the years 2028–2034. The government expressed satisfaction with the outcome, particularly in maintaining the policy’s common nature across the EU.

Preservation of the PAC's common character

According to the ministry, France successfully preserved the "common character of the PAC," ensuring that 100% of funding for basic income support for farmers comes from European credits. This was a key objective to prevent individual member states from altering the policy unilaterally.

Defining active farmers uniformly

France also secured a common framework across member states for defining "active farmers," a necessary condition for receiving PAC aid. This aims to prevent unfair competition between member states and ensure consistent eligibility criteria.

Support for agricultural diversity

While maintaining the common nature of the PAC, France emphasized that the policy should not be "uniform." It should instead "recognize and protect the diversity of our agricultural models," according to the ministry's statement.

Reintroduction of key regulations

France succeeded in reintroducing the Posei regulation, which provides aid measures tailored to overseas territories. It also defended the "principle of transparency" for Gaec, ensuring individual rights of members are preserved in collective farming enterprises.

Simplification of agro-environmental aid

France expressed satisfaction with the promise of simplification in agro-environmental aid, aiming to make it "more flexible, simpler and able to include incentive payments." This aligns with the French goal of supporting farmers through transitions rather than imposing new constraints.

Focus on young farmers and sector-specific support

The ministry claims to have maintained the "mandatory character" of additional aid for young farmers. It also negotiated the strengthening of "support measures adapted to different sectors," including coupled aids and sectoral interventions, as well as increased aid for the first hectares of farmland.

Inclusion of specific agricultural provisions

France secured the reintroduction of specific agricultural provisions in the PAC and OCM (Common Market Organization) regulations, alongside a coalition of about twenty member states. This ensures that agricultural policy remains under the competence of EU ministers of agriculture.

Non-binding EU recommendations

France ensured that the European Commission's recommendations on implementing the PAC are "non-binding and non-modifiable during the programming period," according to the ministry's statement. This provides more flexibility in how the policy is applied at the national level.

Next challenge: EU budget negotiations

With the PAC negotiations complete, France's focus now shifts to negotiating the EU budget within the framework of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2028–2034. This will determine key financial aspects of the PAC, including aid degression and capping. Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard emphasized that France will not compromise on securing a budget that supports the PAC's ambitions.