SummaryThis article assesses the June 2018 European Commission's legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post‐2020. It does not consider the positions of the co‐legislators – the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The article considers the European Commission's New Delivery Model (NDM), the enhanced environmental and climate ambition, and the new performance framework from the perspective of a national administration. The enhanced focus on performance is the cornerstone of the NDM. However, the article highlights the complexity associated with enhanced reporting requirements of the NDM and asserts that the reporting requirements will need to be simplified and streamlined to ensure a simplified CAP for all involved; and to encourage the enhanced environmental and climate ambition foreseen in the European Commission's proposal. The move from compliance‐based to performance‐based oversight is welcomed from the perspective of the national administration. The single audit approach, whereby multiple audits and inspections are avoided, should result in simplification for the CAP beneficiaries and for the national administrations. The proposed NDM is very different to what the European Commission, national administrations and beneficiaries are used to – it will take time to bed down.