The European Parliament's AGRI Committee on 1 June 2026 debated the European Court of Auditors' Opinion 10/2026 on the EU budget performance framework and questioned the Commission on biofuels and the delegated act on high indirect land use change risk feedstocks under RED. ECA's Jorg Kristijan Petrovič warned that the proposal simplifies reporting for the Commission but may increase burdens for Member States and farmers, with weak definitions, indicators, and funding-result links.
MEPs diverged sharply on the performance framework. Gilles Pennelle (PfE) and Bert-Jan Ruissen (ECR) argued bureaucracy remains high, while David Vidanes (DG BUDG) defended harmonisation. On results-based tracking, Dario Nardella (S&D) and Luke Ming Flanagan (The Left) questioned trust in output-based tracking, while Cristina Guarda (Greens/EFA) pushed for stronger impact indicators including gender. Herbert Dorfmann (EPP) and Christine Singer (Renew) stressed food security and competitiveness over green targets, with Guarda and Arash Saeidi (The Left) defending biodiversity and social conditionality. On the 'do no significant harm' principle, Dorfmann and Singer warned of legal uncertainty for farm investments, while Guarda rejected exemptions. On climate coefficients, Petrovič cited overstatement of green spending, with Nardella and Flanagan agreeing, but Guarda argued for more precise tracking.
In the biofuels debate, Jeroen Verhagen (DG ENV) defended listing soy as high ILUC risk under unchanged methodology, but Dorfmann, Eric Sargiacomo (S&D), and Georgiana Teodorescu (ECR) argued it harms EU protein production and strategic autonomy. Csaba Dömötör (PfE) criticised Ukrainian biofuel imports. Luke Ming Flanagan (The Left) and Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA) favoured waste-based biofuels, while Benoit Cassart (Renew) saw complementarity between food, feed, and fuel. Chair Veronika Vrecionová (ECR) noted a vote on the performance file on 14 July.
Farmers face potential increased administrative burdens from new reporting requirements, while biofuel producers may see market shifts if soy is classified as high ILUC risk. Member State administrations would need to adapt to new performance indicators, and environmental groups could benefit from stronger biodiversity and social conditionality provisions.