NRPPs : The European Parliament rejects Commission’s proposal and demands an amended text

Farm Europe welcomes the European Parliament’s letter to President Ursula von der Leyen rejecting the European Commission’s current proposal for the National and Regional Partnership Plans (NRPP) as a basis for negotiations. The Parliament’s stance aligns with Farm Europe’s long-standing view that the European Union must maintain strong, distinct policies with clear rules and a level playing field for farmers. 

The European Parliament has made it clear that the current NRPP proposal:

• Risks re-nationalisation by allowing “à la carte” approaches that undermine EU priorities, fragment funding, and threaten cohesion;
• Fails to preserve the distinct roles of key EU policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Cohesion Policy, risking predictability, accountability, and proper funding allocation. These policies need proper budgetary accountability through an autonomous performance framework.
• Weakens the involvement of regions and local authorities, sidelining multilevel governance and the partnership principle;
• Reduces the European Parliament’s powers over budgetary decisions, programming flexibility, and oversight of EU funds;
• Lacks a coherent link to Rule of Law mechanisms and fundamental EU values, creating a democratic deficit in the allocation of EU resources.

Farm Europe supports the Parliament’s insistence on returning CAP provisions to a dedicated legislative framework, ensuring a level playing field for farmers and clear rules for strategic plans. We also welcome the call for distinct budgets for cohesion, agriculture, fisheries, and social policies, as well as legally binding participation of the European Parliament in steering decisions and flexibility allocations.

Farm Europe urges the Commission to reflect these demands in a revised proposal that can form the basis for constructive negotiations with the European Parliament, ultimately reinforcing Europe’s cohesion, agricultural competitiveness, and democratic accountability.