The essay deals with the aspects of social conditionality as a mechanism recently introduced in the CAP payment system. It outlines the relevance of the provision within the sustainable food system in the agrifood supply chain, for the issues related to the protection of labour, in EU and national law. Within the rules established by the new Common Agricultural Policy 2023-27, in line with the objectives of social sustainability, the essay addresses the legal mechanism of the social conditionality instrument, which provides for the reduction of financial support for failure to comply with the rules aimed at protecting workers, by retracing the stages of its establishment and implementation in European legislation and at the national level.
The essay analyses the Italian rules aimed at implementing the EU provision, pointing out the problems related to the implementation of the payment administrative system, considering the violation of labour standards; as well as to the penalties system, to assess the adequacy of the national system, to establish dissuasive and proportionate sanctions. Finally, the authors offer an outlook on possible future developments at the EU level.
