MEPs Sander Smit and Jessika van Leeuwen (both ECR) have asked the European Commission to introduce binding performance obligations for the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) in agriculture, following a critical audit by the European Court of Auditors (ECA). In a written parliamentary question submitted on 24 April 2026, the MEPs seek concrete targets for practical applicability and farmer participation in the next programming period (2028–2034).
The question cites an ECA report from 26 February 2026, which found that more than half of EIP projects yielded no useful innovations and about a third had little relevance to agricultural practice. The auditors also noted that farmers were not systematically compensated for their participation, unlike researchers and advisers, and that projects compensating farmers—such as those in the Netherlands—performed demonstrably better.
Concrete asks for the next programme The MEPs put three specific demands to the Commission. First, they ask whether the Commission is prepared to set a minimum percentage of EIP projects that must demonstrably prove to be applicable in agricultural practice in the regulation for the 2028–2034 period. Second, they press the Commission to specify what it is doing differently compared to 2021 to strengthen the interactive innovation approach—a promise the Commission made at the start of the current programme period. Third, they request a concrete, quantifiable target for farmer participation in the EIP for 2028–2034, against which Parliament can hold the Commission to account halfway through the period.
Policy direction and expected follow-up The question signals a push for more results-oriented, farmer-inclusive innovation policy. The MEPs advocate shifting from a research-driven model to one that ensures practical applicability and direct farmer involvement, with measurable benchmarks. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will indicate whether it is willing to embed binding performance metrics in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) legal framework. The outcome could affect how EU agricultural research funding is designed and monitored, with potential implications for farmers, researchers, and national administrations.
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