Generational renewal strategy

The EESC Youth Test was applied to this opinion. Rural Youth Europe was chosen by a group of interested youth organisations to represent all of them during the opinion-making process. 

Key points

The EESC:

• welcomes the Commission’s Strategy on Generational Renewal in Agriculture but calls for it to become more binding and for Member States to align their national frameworks with its recommendations;
• expresses strong concern about the reduction of the future CAP budget and insists that generational renewal will not be achievable without a sufficiently funded and strengthened Common Agricultural Policy, including making the 6% allocation for young farmers a mandatory minimum;
• calls for the consolidation and reinforcement of existing CAP instruments (income support, installation aid, investment support and risk management tools) to ensure viable, resilient and investable farm businesses;
• stresses that access to land, finance and fair market conditions — notably through mandatory contractualisation and strengthened producer organisations — are essential preconditions for young farmers’ economic sustainability;
• emphasises the importance of strengthened initial and lifelong agricultural training, improved skills development and enhanced participation in EU mobility programmes to increase the attractiveness of farming as a career;
• underlines that generational renewal depends on dynamic rural areas offering adequate services, housing, connectivity and quality of life;
• calls for effective succession, retirement and early-retirement mechanisms that ensure dignified departure, facilitate farm transfer and prevent the accumulation of CAP payments and pensions.