Overview

• The European Commission’s proposal for the 2028–2034 budget would shrink the Common Agricultural Policy from about €386 billion to roughly €302 billion and merge its direct payments and rural development pillars into a single fund.
• Spanish regions including Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Andalusia, Asturias and the Balearic Islands have formally requested urgent bilateral meetings with Spain’s agriculture ministry to contest the cuts.
• Major farmers’ organisations such as Asaja, Copa-Cogeca and Cooperatives Agroalimentàries de Baleares have announced tractor rallies and demonstrations in response to the proposed cuts.
• Commission documents reveal the reductions are driven by increased EU defence spending and would renationalise rural development funds, making allocations dependent on individual member states’ budgets.
• No concessions have been secured and formal trilogue negotiations between the European Commission, member states and the European Parliament are set to begin in the coming months.