Food & Drink industry calls for pan-EU, competitive & well-funded CAP

• a truly common agricultural policy, to underpin a strong and well-functioning Single Market, i.e. fair competition among farmers across the EU. Since greater subsidiarity might be granted to Member States, the Commission should have a strong role in the assessment, approval and monitoring on the CAP strategic plans, to prevent any renationalisation;
• fair competition conditions among all economic operators along the food supply chain and a continued market orientation in agriculture. A more market-oriented CAP has contributed to improving the competitiveness of the agri-food sector and is the most efficient approach to improve the competitiveness of EU farmers;
• continued public support and existing safety-nets through the CAP budget to avoid disruptions in agricultural production. Investment support is also essential to strengthen EU agriculture and make it more resilient, while also encouraging a move to address climate change. This will require a common budget with appropriate funding in the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) after 2020.