01 de June de 2026
Cambio climático y gestión de recursos naturales
Resiliencia y competitividad
Biodiversidad y paisaje
Brussels activates financial support, makes the CAP more flexible and promotes the use of sustainable fertilizers produced in Europe.
- Brussels activates financial support, makes the CAP more flexible and promotes the use of sustainable fertilizers produced in Europe.
- Spain supports the approach, but demands more funding, a concrete timetable and greater ambition to protect the profitability of the agricultural sector.
Fertilizers are an essential input for agricultural production, key to ensuring crop yields, the economic viability of farms , and food security. However, in recent years, the sector has faced a context marked by rising production costs, price volatility, and a high dependence on imports, factors that have put strain on the entire European agri-food system.
In this context, the European Commission ( EC ) has presented the new Fertilizer Action Plan , a key initiative to ensure the availability and affordability of these essential inputs , reduce external dependence, and strengthen food security in the European Union (EU). The Plan combines immediate support measures for the agricultural sector with a medium- and long-term strategy focused on European production, nutrient use efficiency, and the transition to sustainable fertilizers.
Plan Objectives
On 19 May 2026, the EC adopted this Action Plan in response to the pressure farmers are experiencing due to rising costs and disruptions in the supply of fertilizers.
The central objective is to ensure that European farmers have sufficient fertilizers at affordable prices, while strengthening food security and the resilience of the European agri-food system.
The objectives There are 3 in the Plan:
Availability and affordability of fertilizers
Strategic autonomy and reduction of external dependence
Transition towards sustainable and low-emission fertilizers
Measures from the CAP
In the short term, the Plan focuses on easing the economic burden on farmers through existing support instruments in the Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ).
The main measures include:
strengthening the agricultural reserve to provide liquidity
new mechanisms to improve farm cash flow
Greater flexibility in CAP Strategic Plans
incentives to optimize fertilizer use
The Commission is also strengthening efficient nutrient management and advice to farmers, with the aim of reducing costs and improving the sustainability of farms.
European production and sustainable fertilizers
In the medium and long term, the Plan aims to strengthen domestic fertilizer production and reduce dependence on imports, a structural vulnerability of the European agricultural system.
The strategic lines include:
promotion of organic, biological and recycled fertilizers
promotion of the use of digestates and nutrient recovery
support for industry decarbonization
development of the circular economy in the agricultural sector
Furthermore, it is expected to improve market transparency and strengthen cooperation between actors in the fertilizer value chain in the EU.
Spain's position
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) has positively assessed the direction of the Plan, especially regarding the improvement of fertilizer availability, the boost to European production and the transition towards more sustainable models.
However, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, has demanded :
increased European funding
a detailed application schedule
a rigorous assessment of the economic and productive impact
Spain considers the EU crisis reserve insufficient as the sole support instrument and stresses the need to strengthen resources to ensure the effectiveness of the Plan.
Spanish aid
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) has already mobilized 500 million euros in direct aid to facilitate the purchase of fertilizers for farmers, within the framework of the measures adopted in response to the energy and geopolitical crisis.
In addition, the Ministry is working on a national plan aligned with the European Plan that prioritizes:
nutrient use efficiency
diversification of fertilization sources
the utilization of organic materials and by-products of biogas.
The Government also insists that the transition to sustainable fertilizers must be gradual and compatible with maintaining agricultural productivity.
Fertilizers and food security
The Fertilizer Action Plan places this strategic input at the heart of European agricultural policy, directly linking it to food security , strategic autonomy and sustainability .
Its development and application will be crucial to ensuring the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, the stability of the markets and the future of the agricultural environment in the European Union.