Where we are on CAP?Implementation of the new CAP

State of play11-12 June 2014

CEEweb office, Budapest

Faustine DefossezEEB

Why the greening of the CAP?

• Environment Agriculture

• A real need: a response to natural resources depletion caused by the mainstream agricultural development pattern

• A real demand: 77% of EU citizens asked for stricter environmental conditions attached to Direct Payment

• Public money for public goods

From a light green proposal to a complete greenwashing

• Commission’s proposal: step in the right direction but already unable to fully address the challenges

• Co decision= dilution of all greening elements

• Final result: greenwashing, complicated texts… risk of step backwards on previous environmental achievements

Co decision

GREENWASHINGCommission’s initial proposal Final deal

Greening -Mandatory greening

-Ecological Focus Areas 7%-Grasslands protection at farm level-Crop diversification 3 crops

-Everything for farms above 3 ha

-weak link between basic payments and greening + equivalence mechanisms

-5% EFAs (inclusion of crops, short rotation coppice)- maybe 7% in 2017/2018-Grasslands protection at regional/national level-Crop diversification 2 crops (between 10 and 30 ha) and 3 (above 30ha)-EFAs for farms higher than 15ha + exemptions of all permanent crops

Cross compliance

Protection of carbon rich soils and petlands, wetlandsInclusion of WFD and Sustainable Use of pesticides directive

No protection of carbon rich soils and petlands, wetlandsDeletion of reference to WFD and Sustainable Use of pesticides directive

Pillar 2 25% minimum spending option for the environmentFlexibility between pillar 1 and 2: 10% P1 to P2; 5% P2 to P1

30% compulsory spending for the environment but includes LFAs and investments measuresFlexibility between pillar 1 and 2: 15% both ways! Up to 25% from P2 t P1!

GREENWASHING

• 47% of EU farmland exempted from the EFAs requirement

• 26, 4% of EU arable land exempted from meaningful crop diversification

Some green shadow left in the implementation?

• Delegated acts = further watering down of greening (0,3 weighting factor for nitrogen: 0,7 in 2015)

BUT

• Flexibility left to Member states as regards implementation

Implementation of the new CAP

Timing

• End of June publication of implementing acts and delegated acts

• 1st of August notification from MS on implemention of key elements from greening

• Implementation of the new CAP starts in January 1st 2015

Where flexibility matters ?

• Cross compliance: GAEC implementation (E.g: GAEC 7 on retention of landscape features)

• Greening: EFAs and environmentally sensitive grasslands protection (in and out of N2000)

• Pillar 2- decent funding for conservation (N2000, agri environmental measures, sub programs..)

Some ingredients for success

• Involvement of Environment Ministries at national level in greening implementation

• Effective consultation and participation of environmental NGOs in cross compliance/greening implementation process- Pillar 2 drafting

Some ingredients for success

• Advisory services!

Thanks!

Questions?