EU Council Adopts Partial Negotiating Mandate for Post-2027 Common Market Organisation

Adoption of the Post-2027 Common Market Organisation Position

On October 19, 2026, the Council of the European Union reached an agreement on a partial negotiating position regarding the post-2027 Common Market Organisation (CMO) for agricultural products. This mandate outlines the Council's regulatory and structural approach for governing agricultural markets in the period spanning 2028 to 2034.

The mandate is officially designated as a partial position because it intentionally excludes horizontal and budgetary issues. Those provisions remain subject to broader, ongoing interinstitutional negotiations concerning the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). By defining its stance on market rules ahead of the financial settlement, the Council establishes a distinct framework for sectoral organisation and commercial standards across the bloc.

Marketing Standards and Origin Transparency for Key Commodities

A central component of the Council's mandate addresses the introduction and revision of marketing standards aimed at enhancing origin transparency for buyers and consumers. The agreed position supports clear marketing standards and origin labelling rules covering a designated group of agricultural commodities.

The specified products subject to these marketing standards include:

• Rice
• Beef
• Pigmeat
• Sheep meat
• Goatmeat
• Protein crops

Under the proposed rules, clearer traceability and product identification requirements will apply across these sectors to provide greater clarity regarding the origin of goods placed on the European market.

Structural Sectoral Reforms: Protein Crops and Oilseeds

The negotiating framework also introduces structural changes to the sectoral categorization governed by the CMO. Under the Council's position, the existing dried fodder sector is set to be replaced.

In its place, the revised CMO framework proposes the establishment of a dedicated sector specifically for protein crops and oilseeds. This formal classification reorganizes how market rules, definitions, and regulatory provisions are structured for plant-based proteins and oilseed crops within the European agricultural regulatory architecture.

Harmonized Standards and Regulatory Limits for Hemp

The Council's position defines harmonized production and marketing provisions for the hemp sector across the European Union.

In maintaining regulatory consistency and alignment with international drug conventions, the mandate upholds a 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) threshold for hemp. By confirming this limit, the Council establishes a single, harmonized baseline for agricultural cultivation and marketing across all EU member states under the 2028–2034 framework.