The “Health Check” of the CAP Reform: Lessons from Its Impact Assessment

The “Health Check” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms addressed three policy questions aimed at assessing the implementation of the reforms: how to simplify and render more efficient the system of direct payments; how to best grasp market opportunities; and how to meet new challenges, especially those linked to the effects of climate change. Although none of the proposed legislative changes constitute a fundamental reform of the CAP, they will, nonetheless, shape the debate on its future.