In this IEEP CAP2020 Policy Briefing, we clarify the roles of Cohesion Policy and the CAP in supporting rural development, and present some of the arguments that might come into play regarding the future EU policy framework for supporting rural development.

On 4 May, the European Commission published its proposals for a new Biodiversity Strategy for 2011. The strategy places particular emphasis on the important role of the agricultural sector in ‘helping halt the loss of biodiversity in the EU by 2020, and protecting, valuing and restoring EU biodiversity and ecosystem services by 2050’.

A Mercosur trade agreement in relation to agriculture has the potential to have significant knock-on impacts on the environment. With talks expected to conclude by July 2011, there are significant concerns being raised about the impact, not only on the EU’s agricultural sector, but also what this might mean environmentally.

On 8 March 2011, the Commission published a Communication entitled A Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050 as a key deliverable under the so-called Europe 2020 Resource Efficiency Flagship. The Roadmap sets out the milestones to achieving 80 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. It provides an overview of the pathways for key sectors, including agriculture and forestry, and indicates the percentage reductions from 1990 levels that would have to be achieved per sector by 2030 and 2050 respectively. For the agriculture sector specifically, the Commission’s analysis shows that by 2050 the sector could reduce non-CO2 emissions by between 42 and 49 per cent, compared to 1990.

The Efra Committee inquiry into Farming in the Uplands sought to ‘identify and evaluate the drivers of change in upland communities, and to develop policy recommendations to enable and equip them to move towards more secure, economically prosperous and sustainable futures’. Evidence from 25 organisations (such as the Tenant Farmers Association, National Farmers Union, Country Land and Business Association, and English National Park Authorities Association) informed the Committee’s recommendations.

Foresight reports published in France and the UK examine the challenges facing the global food system between now and 2050, and the policy decisions needed to ensure that a global population rising to nine billion or more can be fed sustainably and equitably.

DG Agriculture has published three new briefings discussing key aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) pertinent to the debate on its future design and structure. These Agricultural Policy Perspectives critically explore how the CAP might evolve in the future and provide an insight to the Commission’s stance on the future for direct payments, market measures and rural development within the CAP.

The Agriculture Council met in Brussels on Tuesday 14th December for the last meeting under the 2010 Belgium Presidency. Support for Less Favoured Areas, greening of Pillar One and simplification were among the key issues discussed together with major discussions surrounding the Commission’s dairy reform as well as a revision of the EU quality rules.

Two new reports have been published that evaluate the operation of specific Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) policy measures. The Commission’s report focuses on evaluating the implementation of the Farm Advisory System (FAS) to date and the European Court of Auditors’ report looks at the effectiveness of the Leader approach.

While the CAP reform debate is in full swing, the UK countries have been consulting on the structure and content of their future agricultural policies as part of the transition away from the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.

30 actions to transform the Commission’s proposals into a genuine transition tool.

Just a few days before EU Agriculture Ministers meet for the informal Council in Vienna and on the basis of the preparatory questions sent by the presidency to the delegations, the authors of this blog post identify the key elements for securing vibrant rural areas in the future CAP.

Those of us with long memories of CAP reforms know that there can be many dramas, dead ends and diversions along the way. Nonetheless, there has been a discernible direction of travel for two decades or more.