Tasks of the European Environment Agency (EEA) To collect data and information on environmental trends in Europe To report on the influence of economic sectors and the effectiveness of (environmental) policies To lay the basis for informed decisions by policy makers 31 member countries, ~150 staff

Work on agriculture & environment IRENA project on agri-envir. indicators for EU-15, together with Commission 40 indicator fact sheets, 2 reports Reports on effects of EU-enlargement + High Nature Value farmland areas Current projects: biofuels on farmland; water pollution from agriculture; CIFAS project www.eea.eu.int

Approach of presentation Socio-economic framework Strategic rather than implementation perspective (30 years +) The right tool in the right place Learn from monitoring and evaluation Sharing knowledge + good practice Looking ahead..

Underlying driving forces + factors Economic trends (increase in labour costs, falling product prices) Technological development Socio-economic expectations Further structural change is probable Agricultural policy as a tool for delivering public goods Limited administrative resources for more complex policies Total agricult. budget likely to decline 5

The strategic perspective Nature conservation is forever.. There is not one single solution.. Discussion of a few principles Aim to add value to nature products Link policies up where possible but do not over-complicate delivery Exploit new trends where possible Focus on conserving or developing ?!

Key elements of EAFRD regulation Conserving elements: AE schemes; Natura 2000 payments; semi-subsistence measure; meeting standards measure; LFAs Developing elements: Adding value to rural products; farmer training and advice; non-productive investments; upgrading rural heritage; diversification; LEADER approach

Chosing the policy approach Important factors to consider: Structure of the farming sector Type and distribution of env. issues Administrative structures and capacity Environmental baseline + polluter pays principle Adding value and dynamism

Regional paths + opportunities The Austrian way: High public support for RD, regional markets, premium products, new services and diversification, LEADER The Brandenburg way: Large-scale farming, strong AE schemes, nature set-aside, large players in organic farming and bio-energy The Extremaduran way: Extensive farming under strong physic. constraints, some traditional quality products, support through 1st pillar aid

Nature conservation solutions? Alpine grasslands – Triglav NP (SI) Large coastal + upland grasslands - Matsalu bay (EE), Nemunas delta (LI), White Carpathians (CZ) Hungarian puszta Narew river floodplain (PL) Spanish cereal steppes

Monitoring and evaluation Key tools for policy learning Is public money well spent? To be integrated into scheme design Often neglected so far New opportunities through EAFRD, Article 67 Make use of EAFRD resources + improved technology

Learning from each other It is a knowledge game.. R.D. networks under EAFRD are a big step forward – let’s use them! Sharing knowledge between different players and countries Look at LEADER Exploit new technologies? It is a long-term task..

Looking into the future Who will manage high nature value farmland in 30 years time? Semi-subsistence farmers: small area Family farms: where conditions are right Organic farmers: require top-up schemes Nature managers: in many cases yes Large conventional farms: mostly not Bio-energy farmers: Yes, if we create the right conditions for it!

What remains to be done? Reform the LFA schemes Further reform of 1st pillar Better targeting of RD measures Evaluation + sharing of knowledge Link RD policy to other policies: LIFE, structural funds, energy policy We have made progress already!