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The ‘Environmental Focus Areas’ (EFAs), were the boldest and potentially most effective of the three measures for greening Pillar One of the CAP when proposed by the Commission in October 2011. In the recent negotiations involving the Council and European Parliament however they have been at the forefront of what has become a ‘race to the bottom’ with their content being whittled away from several directions. Yet another such dilution has been proposed at this very late stage, with the new CAP within a week of agreement on the present timetable.

As the debate on the CAP reform battles on between institutions and Member States, BBC journalist, Roger Harrabin has produced a short report which featured on BBC Newsnight. The footage aims to outline to the public the key issues in the CAP reform debate and communicate them in layman’s terms.

The long debate over greening in this year’s CAP reform is moving towards a climax. This short paper provides an overview of the state of play on the greening in Pillar 1, Pillar 2 and cross-compliance. It reflects on the architecture of the CAP as well as the implications of the different ways in which green elements have been watered down in negotiations, suggestions are made about how the outstanding issues should be resolved if greenwash is to be avoided and a credible CAP put in place.

A recent news article posted by the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism provides an update on the on-going battle for traditional graziers against Member State reclassification of farmland.

After lengthy deliberations, on 19 March, the Agriculture Council agreed its negotiating mandate on the CAP reform package of legislative texts. This... Read in full

The unprecedented cuts in the EU’s future spending plans, agreed by Heads of State and Government in early February, have been much... Read in full

‘There is mixed news for the EU’s environment and the green economy from today’s MFF deal’ says David Baldock, Director of the... Read in full

The results of last week’s vote (23-24 Jan) in the European Parliament’s Committee on Agricultural and Rural Development was disappointing for the... Read in full

One of the key elements of the current CAP reform, aimed at protecting existing carbon stocks, so far appears to have been... Read in full

The President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, has issued a new negotiating text for the forthcoming MFF in preparation for... Read in full

The negotiations on the EU’s budget for the next seven years – called the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) – are now fully... Read in full