EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council Sets Post-2027 Policy Direction

The EU Council of Agriculture and Fisheries met in Brussels on 22‑23 June 2026 under the Cypriot presidency. Ministers adopted a draft agenda for the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, calling for greater subsidiarity, reduced bureaucracy and flexible, targeted support to help farmers cope with volatile markets, climate extremes and geopolitical pressures. The Council also endorsed an urgent action plan to secure essential inputs such as fertilisers and to stabilise food prices.

Parallel discussions on the Common Fisheries Policy set the framework for transitory catch quotas for 2027, a decarbonisation roadmap for vessels and a new financing structure for 2028‑2034. The commission presented a reform aimed at balancing environmental protection, economic viability and coastal community interests. Ukraine’s vice‑prime minister highlighted the challenges facing Ukrainian agriculture amidst the war.

In Italy, Coldiretti organised a conference in Brussels titled “The Europe we want: sustainability, jobs and identity to 2040”, echoing the EU agenda and stressing the strategic role of fisheries for food security and coastal economies. Meanwhile, the Tuscan branch of Confcooperative warned that local fisheries face high financial risk (43 % risk index) and competition from imports, urging a locally‑co‑designed management plan. “The risk is that our maritime identity disappears,” said Andrea Bartoli, vice‑president of Confcooperative.