Learn more on AREFLH work to defend a strong European policy framework for the F&V sector.

May 2026

As the European Union prepares the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, AREFLH is fully mobilised to ensure that the fruit and vegetable sector remains supported by a strong, coherent, and genuinely European policy framework.

The European Commission’s proposal for a new Single Fund marks a major turning point. By reshaping the financing architecture of the CAP and introducing greater national responsibility in the funding of sectoral interventions, it opens an important political debate about the future of one of the EU’s most successful market-organisation systems.

 

For AREFLH, one principle is clear: sectoral interventions in the fruit and vegetable sector are much more than income-support tools. For nearly thirty years, they have been the backbone of a highly effective Common Market Organisation, helping Producer Organisations invest, innovate, prevent crises, improve competitiveness, and strengthen Europe’s food security. Their success has largely depended on predictable, harmonised EU-level financing that guarantees equal conditions for producers across the internal market.

This is why AREFLH considers that the financing model proposed under COM(2025)565 does not yet provide sufficient guarantees for market stability, legal certainty, or a true level playing field. Renationalising financial responsibility risks creating disparities between Member States, undermining long-term investment capacity, and weakening the structural role of Producer Organisations.

 

Our preferred approach is therefore straightforward: preserve the current principle of full EU financing for sectoral interventions by exempting them from national co-financing requirements. This would maintain the consistency and predictability that have made the fruit and vegetable CMO a success story since 1996.

At the same time, AREFLH is engaging constructively with the reform process. Should national co-financing remain part of the final framework, we have developed concrete amendment proposals to ensure strict EU safeguards, including clear contribution thresholds, proportionality linked to the Value of Marketed Production, and transitional measures to protect existing programmes and avoid disruption.

Beyond financing, AREFLH is also working to ensure that the related CMO provisions under COM(2025)553 remain coherent, legally sound, and supportive of strong Producer Organisations. Across both legislative texts, our objective is simple: to prevent fragmentation, preserve competitiveness, and ensure that sectoral interventions continue to serve as true market-organisation instruments.

 

Through dialogue with EU institutions, Member States, and sector partners, AREFLH is actively defending a future CAP that strengthens resilience rather than creating uncertainty.