CAP conflict: Is the European Commission breaching its legal duties?

ClientEarth asserts that the European Commission must use its legislative powers to amend or withdraw the current CAP reform proposal, as it conflicts with the climate and biodiversity goals of the European Green Deal. The briefing claims that relying on non-binding recommendations or the goodwill of co-legislators is insufficient and may constitute a breach of EU law principles, specifically those of consistency, good administration, and environmental integration.

• The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform proposal, initiated in June 2018, conflicts with the political mandate and policies of the current Commission, specifically the biodiversity, environmental, and climate goals of the European Green Deal, including the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork (F2F) strategies.
• ClientEarth argues that the European Commission has a legal obligation, rather than just an option, to amend or withdraw the CAP proposal to ensure alignment with the European Green Deal, based on the principles of consistency, good administration, and environmental integration.
• The Commission is criticized for attempting to achieve EU targets for high diversity landscapes, organic farming, and antibiotic use through non-binding "recommendations" to Member States, which lack an accountability mechanism.
• The European Commission has acknowledged misalignments between the CAP reform and the European Green Deal in a Staff Working Document, but ClientEarth contends that the Commission is improperly relying on the European Parliament and the Council to close these gaps.

APA

ClientEarth (n.d.). CAP conflict: Is the European Commission breaching its legal duties? https://www.clientearth.org/media/kf0nr01s/2020-07-08-cap-conflict-is-the-european-commission-breaching-its-legal-duties-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. CAP conflict: Is the European Commission breaching its legal duties? n.d. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kf0nr01s/2020-07-08-cap-conflict-is-the-european-commission-breaching-its-legal-duties-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=CAP conflict: Is the European Commission breaching its legal duties? |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/kf0nr01s/2020-07-08-cap-conflict-is-the-european-commission-breaching-its-legal-duties-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearthndcap, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{CAP conflict: Is the European Commission breaching its legal duties?}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/kf0nr01s/2020-07-08-cap-conflict-is-the-european-commission-breaching-its-legal-duties-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }