Reimagining the Common Agricultural Policy: Competing Rationales for the CAP after 2027
The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period after 2027 has reopened fundamental questions regarding the purpose, governance and financing of agricultural policy in the European Union. This paper argues that the contemporary CAP is justified by a combination of objectives relating to food security and resilience, environmental stewardship, territorial cohesion, and competitiveness and innovation. It examines how these competing rationales shape the current reform debate and assesses them using the principle of European value added. While all four rationales provide legitimate grounds for public intervention, they differ in the extent to which they justify common European financing. The paper argues that the strongest case for EU expenditure arises where collective action problems, cross-border spillovers or economies of scale are most evident, notably in environmental sustainability, crisis preparedness, research, innovation and knowledge exchange. It concludes that the central challenge facing the future CAP will be the prioritisation of expenditure within an increasingly constrained budget. The greater flexibility proposed for Member States in the post- 2027 CAP will make the prioritisation of European value added more difficult.
