Media: EU agriculture commissioner warns against diverting farm funds to defence

The European Union's agriculture commissioner, Christophe Hansen, has strongly cautioned against diverting funds from the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to boost military spending.

Hansen emphasized the importance of maintaining the €387 billion CAP budget, which constitutes one-third of the EU’s seven-year budget, highlighting its critical role in ensuring food security across the 27-member bloc, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Hansen made it clear that the EU must not allow its military expenditure to undermine its agricultural funding, stating, “It is difficult to build a continent on an empty stomach.” He further stressed that the current geopolitical climate underscores the necessity of food security to avoid becoming vulnerable to external pressures.

Negotiations are currently underway between EU governments, the European Commission, and the European Parliament concerning the next trillion-euro budget, which will take effect in 2028. The European Commission has proposed a radical overhaul that could merge CAP funds with other regional spending, creating a single fund from which member states could allocate resources towards new priorities, including defence.

This proposal has sparked concern within the farming sector, with the EU’s largest farming lobby, Copa Cogeca, expressing widespread alarm. The group warned that pooling the CAP funds could have detrimental effects on agriculture, urging Brussels to increase the CAP budget and ensure it is adjusted to account for inflation. Some member states, including Ireland, have also voiced opposition, fearing that agricultural priorities could be sidelined in favor of military spending.

While Hansen acknowledged that a single fund could offer potential benefits such as "more synergies," he remained cautious, asserting that it was "too early" to determine the precise size of the CAP in the future budget. He emphasized, however, that agriculture should receive a "specific, commensurate budget" and that new environmental demands placed on the sector, such as for cutting emissions or enhancing biodiversity, should come with additional financial support.

The agriculture sector has long complained about the environmental conditions tied to CAP funding. In response to last year’s widespread farmer protests, the European Commission has scaled back certain requirements, such as mandatory crop rotation and the maintenance of non-productive areas like wildlife-supporting hedges.

Despite the challenges, Hansen pointed to growing interest in EU agricultural exports, noting that countries like Japan are keen on trade with the EU, even as it maintains high production standards. "The European market is a very strong market [and] is able maybe to pay better prices than other markets," he concluded.

By Vafa Guliyeva