The European Commission has promised a series of adjustments to its proposal for the next EU multiannual budget covering the period 2028–2034, aiming to address long-standing concerns raised by farmers across the bloc. The move has been warmly welcomed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who described it as “an important step forward,” and is now prepared, in return, to give Italy’s green light to the EU’s trade agreement with the Mercosur countries.
At the heart of the debate is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). According to Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, “the balance for Italy shows an additional €10 billion for the sector.” He stressed that “not only are resources for agriculture not being cut, but they are actually being increased.”
In technical terms, the Commission’s proposal does not add new money to the overall EU budget, nor does it formally raise Italy’s national allocation. The plan, which must still go through negotiations with the European Parliament and, above all, with the 27 member states, instead introduces greater flexibility, allowing governments to channel more resources towards their agricultural sectors—potentially at the expense of other budget items.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that funds earmarked for agriculture in the next EU budget will amount to €293.7 billion, in line with the proposal presented last summer. The key change lies in timing and access. Member states will be able to draw, as early as 2028, on two-thirds of the reserve that is usually unlocked only at the mid-term review. At the EU level, this reserve is worth €45 billion and can be directed to agriculture.
In addition, von der Leyen recalled that, as already decided in recent months, the amount set aside to cope with market disruptions has been doubled to €6.3 billion. Farmers will also be able to use up to 10% flexibility margins in the event of natural disasters, provisions already included in national plans. Finally, the Commission has established that “at least 1% of the resources of each national plan must be allocated to support investments in rural areas.” Taken together, von der Leyen said, these measures will provide farmers with “an unprecedented level of support, in some respects even higher than in the current budget cycle.”
Lollobrigida argued that this will indeed be the case for Italy. “We had opposed the proposal that allocated only €31 billion to Italy for agricultural policies,” the minister said. “Today we can say that not only is the planned 22% cut to agricultural resources for 2028–2034 cancelled, but funding is actually increased by €1 billion compared with 2021–2027.”
The minister’s calculation is based on €5 billion earmarked for rural areas that will be tied to agricultural measures, and €4.7 billion from the flexibility reserve that can already be used from 2028. These are, however, resources already assigned to Italy rather than new funds.
The concessions from Brussels appear to have unlocked Rome’s resistance to the Mercosur agreement, long opposed by farming lobbies. With stronger guarantees on agricultural support, the Italian government now sees room to balance domestic interests with the EU’s broader trade strategy.