The data gathered in our evaluation clearly shows that direct payments and the redistributive measures of the CAP act as an essential safety net to reduce farmers’ income instability. For this reason, the EESC position is firm: in the long term, it is essential to maintain a CAP with a clearly differentiated two-pillar structure. The first pillar must continue to protect direct income support and market stability, while the second pillar must focus on integrated rural development.

With geopolitical tensions rising and global supply chains under strain, RESourceEU has become a geopolitical necessity. The plan commits €3 billion in funding over the next 12 months, mobilised from EU budgets, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and programs like the Innovation Fund, Battery Booster, and Horizon Europe. Its ambition? To halve the EU’s dependence on single external suppliers by 2029 while boosting domestic recycling, mining, and strategic partnerships.

One of the Resolution’s central recommendations is therefore to strengthen the involvement of social partners and civil society organisations throughout the European Semester cycle. Consultation cannot remain a procedural obligation. It must become a genuine driver of policy success.