A major network of environmental lobby groups and non-government organisations (NGOs) has launched a formal complaint over the proposals for the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) said today (Wednesday, March 18) that it has launched a complaint with the European Ombudsman over the European Commission's handling of the proposals for National and Regional Partnerships in the next CAP for the period 2028 to 2034.

Last summer the commission proposed its plans for the next CAP, which are a radical departure from CAP designs up to now.

The National and Regional Partnership Plan would serve as a single funding pot for member states, out of which money to support agriculture would be allocated.

The EEB's complaint centres on what it claims is "potential maladministration" by the commission.

The complaint claims that the commission failed to conduct an adequate impact assessment or demonstrate that decisions were based on the "best available evidence".

It also claims that the commission failed to carry out a 'climate consistency assessment', which the EEB said is required under EU law.

The complaint also cited a lack of a "dedicated public consultation" on CAP.

According to the EEB, this represents "a lack of due diligence" on the part of the commission that "leaves policymakers and citizens in the dark about the consequences for farmers, rural communities, and the environment".

The environmental group said that CAP constitutes the largest share of taxpayer money in the EU budget and "is legally required" to support EU climate law and biodiversity objectives.

"Failure to preform even basic checks on a proposal of such magnitude is highly problematic," the EEB claimed.

"The EEB calls for transparent, inclusive, and evidence-based policymaking – as per the commission’s own rules – to ensure that Europe’s largest budget and the future of EU food and farming align with public interest and climate and nature goals," the group added.

Theo Paquet, senior policy officer for agriculture at the EEB, said: "The Common Agricultural Policy is one of the EU’s most influential tools to support and steer farming, yet the commission is pushing for major changes without running the simplest of economic, environmental, and social impact checks.

"Alarmingly, this lack of transparent, science-based policymaking isn’t an exception, it’s becoming standard practice," Paquet claimed.

This is not the first time that the EEB has lodged a complaint with the European Ombudsman over CAP; the group also lodged complaints relating to the simplification measures for the current CAP that were introduced in 2024.