Latest

Commission Presents GMO Package

IEEP, 29 JUL 2010

Member States now have the freedom to restrict or ban the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on their territory under new co-existence guidelines as part of a new package of legislative and non-legislative measures adopted by the Commission on 13 July.

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Friends of the Earth Consider Resource Use and the CAP

IEEP, 26 JUL 2010

Last month, Friends of the Earth Europe organised a conference in the European Parliament on ‘Measuring Europe’s Resource Use: A vital tool in creating a resource efficient EU’. A full write up of the conference is now available.

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European Parliament Amends Lyon Report

IEEP, 21 JUL 2010

MEPs voted in favour of George Lyon’s own-initiative report on the future of the CAP at a Plenary session in Strasbourg on 8 July. The report was adopted following an additional last minute amendment broadening the issues that should be defined as public goods to include food security and food safety.

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Agriculture Council Recognises Dairy Recommendations

IEEP, 21 JUL 2010

Staged against a backdrop of European milk producer protests, recommendations from the Commission’s High Level Group on Dairy sparked the only major discussion point at the first Agriculture Council under the Belgium Presidency.

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BirdLife Report Finds Link Between Subsidies and Poor Environmental Performance

BIRDLIFE, 21 JUL 2010

A new report launched by BirdLife International finds that current CAP spending intensity is not reflecting any nature conservation priorities nor supporting nature-friendly farms in three key European countries.

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EEA Report Suggests CAP Reform Should Address Biodiversity Issues

IEEP, 19 JUL 2010

A new report released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) highlights the upcoming CAP reform as an important opportunity to address the existing shortcomings of the agricultural sector in terms of biodiversity.

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Scoping the Development of the Environmentally Sustainable Production Agenda

IEEP, 07 JUL 2010

This IEEP paper for the Land Use Policy Group (LUPG) sets out the key issues and questions that need to be considered for the establishment of a Sustainable Production Agenda for Europe and explores the implications of these issues for the development of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2013 – 2020.

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Quiet Last Agriculture Meeting under Spanish Presidency

IEEP, 06 JUL 2010

Agriculture Ministers had a quiet final gathering under the Spanish Presidency in June’s Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg, where discussions focused on the reopening of negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur bloc, the authorisation of 6 genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and CAP simplification.

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Achieving a transition away from CAP direct payments

IEEP, 02 JUL 2010

This IEEP paper for the Land Use Policy Group's (LUPG) examines a range of transitional arrangements that could facilitate a shift in the basis of CAP payments away from the current system of support, towards one based on a rationale more focused on the provision of environmental goods and services.

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Developing a More Comprehensive Rationale for EU Funding for the Environment

IEEP, 01 JUL 2010

This IEEP paper for the Land Use Policy Group's (LUPG) evaluates the case for using state intervention to reverse existing environmental degradation and deliver improvements, before focusing specifically on the rationale for intervening at the European level.

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UK Climate Committee Report Notes Importance of Agriculture in Emissions Reductions

IEEP, 01 JUL 2010

The UK’s Committee on Climate Change has just released a report which recognizes the importance of the agriculture sector in achieving emissions reductions.

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Informal Agriculture Council on the CAP post-2013

IEEP, 23 JUN 2010

Agriculture Ministers met for two days of informal talks on 30 May – 1 June, in Merida, Spain, which afforded an opportunity for discussion over their respective positions ahead of the publication of the Commission’s Communication on a post-2013 CAP.

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New Study on Farm Viability Published

IEEP, 11 JUN 2010

A new study has been published evaluating the impact that halting direct payments to farmers might have on the viability of farms in the EU-25.

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Online CAP Debate Extended

IEEP, 08 JUN 2010

The online public debate on the future of the CAP launched by Commissioner Mr Ciolos in April has been extended by one week to now end 11 June.

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MEP own-initiative papers adopted by Parliament

IEEP, 01 JUN 2010

Three own-initiative MEP papers were adopted at a mini plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels on 5 – 6 May. The reports, on agriculture in Less Favoured Areas (LFAs), the Animal Welfare Action Plan and EU agriculture and climate change were drafted by MEPs Herbert Dorfmann, Marit Paulsen and Stéphane Le Foll, respectively.

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Featured

Developing a More Comprehensive Rationale for EU Funding for the Environment

IEEP, 01 JUL 2010

This IEEP paper for the Land Use Policy Group's (LUPG) evaluates the case for using state intervention to reverse existing environmental degradation and deliver improvements, before focusing specifically on the rationale for intervening at the European level.

Read in full

Achieving a transition away from CAP direct payments

IEEP, 02 JUL 2010

This IEEP paper for the Land Use Policy Group's (LUPG) examines a range of transitional arrangements that could facilitate a shift in the basis of CAP payments away from the current system of support, towards one based on a rationale more focused on the provision of environmental goods and services.

Read in full

Scoping the Development of the Environmentally Sustainable Production Agenda

IEEP, 07 JUL 2010

This IEEP paper for the Land Use Policy Group (LUPG) sets out the key issues and questions that need to be considered for the establishment of a Sustainable Production Agenda for Europe and explores the implications of these issues for the development of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2013 – 2020.

Read in full

UK Government Analysis of 2007/08 Agricultural Price Spikes Leads to Call for Further Trade Liberalisation

IEEP, 22 JAN 2010

A UK Government report analysing the price spikes for agricultural commodities in 2007/08, concludes that these were exacerbated by poorly performing markets. Authors argue for a further opening up of the international agricultural market and specifically, for the EU to “phase out agricultural subsidies such as Pillar 1 of the CAP" over market intervention protecting consumers.

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