Transcript Document
EU agricultural subsidies: a more sensible way to spend them? Pieter de Pous, EEB Senior Policy Officer Brussels, 11 January 2010 Overview • Agriculture and biodiversity • New transparency rules shedding new light on the CAP • Need for a new way of spending the money • Joint NGO vision for doing this Agriculture and biodiversity • Agriculture today still a major driver of biodiversity loss. • For example 50-80% of nitrogen load in water comes from agriculture. • Decoupling and environmental rules like ND and perhaps WFD have helped but very slowly... • Can’t afford not to use CAP funds as a real positive incentive for biodiversity protection New transparancy rules • Farmsubsidy.org campaign • As part of the EU Transparancy Initiative, new financial regulation rules taking effect in 2009 over 2008 CAP subsidies. • This is one year later then for other EU subsidies due to French insistence and timing of the CAP Health Check The reformed CAP • Payments have been decoupled now but many MS still follow historic or hybrid model. • CAP health check; one step forward, two steps backwards? • In best case, today about 40 billion in EU funds spend without connection to a clear objective. A new CAP in disguise? • Since 2008 the EU has a new biofuel policy: 10% renewable in transport by 2020 • Although the new policy is a mess (10% biofuel but only sustainable ones without explaining what sustainable means) Member States who want to, can support their farmers with a new indirect subsidy: a guaranteed outlet for their products on the energy market. A better way to spend the money? • In 2010 the EC will produce a Communication on a new CAP. • From 2013 onwards agricultural subsidies will be handed out under this new CAP. • Debate is currently taking place within DG AGRI • Maintain status quo, scrapping the CAP or a third option? New proposal developed by BirdLife, EEB, EFNCP, IFOAM and WWF New policy objectives - - Food security through environmental security Support a transition Conditions for safe and healthy food Maintain and enhance agri biodiversity (both wild and domesticated) Contribute to environmental objectives (in water, climate, biodiversity, soil) Support rural vitality where this contributes to delivery of certain public goods Support animal welfare Connect producer and consumers in sustainable food systems New principles • • • • • • • • • • • • From entitlements to contract basis A targeting of the payments Programming approach Strategic approach Prioritise EU funding for EU objectives (e.g N2000) Partnership and transparancy Accountability Objective and fixed allocation of budgets to MS Monitoring and evaluation A dynamic and cost effective system Coherence between policies Avoid trade distortion New architecture Legal Baseline (a beefed up one), then either one or more of the following schemes: • Basic Farm Sustainability Scheme • Organic System Support • High Nature Value System Support • Agri Environment Scheme, OR • Compensatory payment for N2000 and in some cases WFD. • Wider support measures linked to sustainable land management (advisory services and alert systems, capital investment grants, planning support and in exceptional cases community support) Debate is open Join it at: http://cap2020.ieep.eu/vision/