CAP funding remains a sensitive issue, particularly because of its considerable importance in the EU budget. Over the 25 years to 2011, CAP expenditure has decreased from almost 75% to 44% as a share of the EU budget, but it still remains the single largest item.
There has been strong demand for a fairer distribution, to increase the social and political acceptance of the CAP. A considerable number of stakeholders wish to see a more balanced distribution of support among farmers. This applies within MS – internal convergence – with the CAP criticised for its perceived inequity , allocating the biggest payments to a small
number of large or resource-intensive farms. Equally it applies between MS – external convergence – where it has been argued that farmers from the ‘new’ MS get much less than those from the ‘old’ MS.
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