Special Report No 05/2011: Single Payment Scheme (SPS): issues to be addressed to improve its sound financial management

Abstract:

The Single Payment Scheme (SPS) is the major mechanism for providing EU farmers with financial support. It intends to encourage farmers to better respond to market demand and to promote agricultural practices protective for the environment. The SPS is currently applied in 17 of the 27 EU Member States and the related expenditure amounted to some €28.8 billion in 2009.

The report focuses on the beneficiaries of the policy, the conditions of access to the scheme and the definition of eligible land. It also examined to what extent the scheme contributes to the objectives of supporting farmers’ income and to maintaining agricultural land in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC).

The ECA found that the SPS has contributed to the achievement of two of the main objectives of the CAP mentioned above. However, the overall conclusion of the audit is that the implementation of the scheme resulted in a number of questionable features.

ECA: Press Release, ECA/11/23: European Court of Auditors publishes its first special report on the Single Payment Scheme of the common agricultural policy http://eca.europa.eu/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/8386724.PDF

---