Negotiations are currently taking place in Europe on the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2028–2034. The forthcoming MFF is expected to amount to approximately €2 trillion. The EU budget includes funding for various policy areas, including innovation, regional development and migration. A substantial proportion of the EU budget, more than 30%, consists of funding for agriculture. The Netherlands also receives billions in subsidies for farmers and businesses under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Part of the CAP is intended to make the agricultural sector more sustainable. For example, farmers can receive subsidies for measures that contribute to improving biodiversity and soil and water quality, as well as to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
What are we auditing?
The Netherlands Court of Audit is examining the extent to which EU agricultural funds have contributed to making the Dutch agricultural sector more sustainable. The Court of Audit focuses on:
- The financial resources that the Netherlands has made available to promote sustainability;
- The measures supported by these resources and the results achieved to date;
- The extent to which the available information helps clarify how these subsidies contribute to the Netherlands' sustainability objectives.
Why are we conducting this audit?
The negotiations on the MFF provide the Netherlands with an opportunity to redefine its priorities for the use of European resources. It is therefore important to gain insight into the results achieved with existing subsidies.
During the next MFF period, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) will remain responsible for developing and implementing the Netherlands' approach to the CAP. An understanding of how existing measures work and the results they have produced can help the minister decide how to use EU agricultural subsidies in the future.
Current status
Audit of EU agricultural funds
Information the Court of Audit collects in the performance of its statutory tasks is confidential and not made public. Information shared between the Court of Audit and the auditee concerning the information it collects is not made public either and cannot be released under a freedom of information request.
We submit our reports to the House of Representatives. They are then published on our website
Do you want to take part in this audit?
The Court of Audit invites you to share any information you may have that would benefit our audit. We appreciate all contributions, knowledge and experience you may care to share with us on this topic. Simply send an email to bijdrage@rekenkamer.nl.
We read all emails carefully and treat them in confidence. However, we are not able to reply to every contribution we receive.