The Commission president “will go down in history as the gravedigger of the Common Agricultural Policy—practically the only thing still common in Europe,” Spanish farm union president Pedro Barato said.
It’s going to be a tough sell to member states to provide €800 billion more for the total budget, but still cutting cohesion and agricultural funds by 25-30% and sending it to Kyiv.
More than 3,000 farmers’ groups and 20 member states opposed the planned budget reforms, forcing the Commission to seek alternative ways to cut agricultural subsidies by about 20%.
If von der Leyen succeeds, spending would be tied to economic reforms, where member states could be required to address gender disparities to qualify for social housing funds and promote organic farming to access agricultural subsidies.
Farmers’ organizations and right-wing parties in the EU parliament have been protesting this budget merger for months, but the Commission refuses to listen.
There are ample opportunities to find savings in Europe’s bloated welfare states, making it entirely feasible to find the resources to bolster the military.
