TOOLS FOR WATER PROTECTION IN THE EU COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP)

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TOOLS FOR WATER PROTECTION IN THE EU COMMON
AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP)

• SOURCE Working Document The Water Framework
  Directive and tools within the CAP to support its
  implementation
• Brussels, 7 February 2003
• Maret Merisaar, CCB Estonian Secretariat

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Contents of the document

• 1 Introduction
• 2 Goals of the Water Framework Directive
• 3 Impact of agricultural activities to water
  bodies and water ecosystems.
• 4 Interactions between the WFD and the CAP
• 5 Tools for water protection in the current CAP
• 6 Development of the CAP from the point of view
  of water protection
• 7 New environmental standards
• 8 Conclusions

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1 Introduction

• The Working Document of the EC Water Framework
  Directive (WFD) and tools within the CAP to
  support its implementation was published on 7
  February 2003.
• Target groups public authorities in charge of
  rural development planning, river basin
  management and nature protection as well as the
  secretariats of international environmental
  conventions.
• One of the goals is to facilitate the dialogue
  between the authorities of agriculture and
  environment administrations. It compares the time
  schedules for implementing the WFD and the CAP
  reform.
• This is a discussion document that will be
  regularly updated according the changes in both
  of these EU policies.

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2 WFD purpose and key objective

• The WFD establishes a framework for the
  protection of all waters (including inland
  surface waters, transitional waters, coastal
  waters and groundwater) which
• Prevents further deterioration of the status of
  water resources
• Promotes sustainable water use
• Aims at enhancing protection and improvement of
  the aquatic environment through specific measures
  
• Ensures the reduction of pollution of groundwater
  and
• Contributes to mitigating the effects of floods
  and droughts.
• and what is the key objective?
•  Overall, the Directive aims at achieving good
  water status for all waters by 2015.

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3 Impact of agricultural activities to water
bodies and water ecosystems

• Irrigation mainly in the southern memberstates,
  (maize, friuts, vegetables)
• Drainage lowering of groundwater table,
  deterioration of wetlands
• Quality and quantity of ground water usage of
  pesticides, nutrients, drainage and irrigation,
  intensive water usage (e.g.dairies)
• Quality and quantity of surface water in
  addition to above heavy metals from fertilizers,
  erosion sediments, ammonia from manure storages
  into waterbodies.
• Competion in land-use while restoring
  hydromorphology, protecting wetlands, creating
  new grasslands, fighting with floods.

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4 Interactions of agriculture and water mangement
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• Interactions on administration level
• Planning and timing of activities within CAP and
  WFD Bigger changes in the CAP only after 2007.
  Synergies from problem identification and
  coordination of measures. Cooperation of
  authorities in selection of monitoring sites and
  protected areas Use the results of river basin
  characterizations from 2005 from RBMP.
• Competition for land usage grasslands, forests,
  abandonement.
• WFD allows some exemptions (derogations) in
  deadlines for achieving environmental standards
  and in the strictness of the requirements.?

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4 Interactions of agriculture and water mangement
2

• Interactions on farm level
• Water protection requirements in the WFD
• Minimum or basic requirements
• Additional requirements (unclosed list)
• Environmental standards
• Polluter pays principle
• Farmers in different river basins may have
  different requirements economic competion
  conditions
• How does WFD differ from earlier water protection
  directives?

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5 Tools for water protection in the current CAP

• Regulation 1259/1999/EC subsidies depending
  from impl of ennv requirements in endangered
  areas
• Rural development (see next slide)
• Good agricultural practice (in sensitive areas)
  and minimum standards (for young farmers) already
  exist in the Rural Development Plans but only are
  to be written into the RBMPs
• Consultation processes on both national and
  international level.
• LEADER as part of Structural Funds can help
  to implement the water management projects under
  Water Framework Directive

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5 Tools for water protection in the current CAP 2

• 5.2. Rural development
• Investments into agricultural enterprices
  (holdings)- (new manure storages and spreading
  equimpent)
• Young farmers should follow minimm standards
• Training programmes Org. farming, water
  protection
• Early retirement
• Less favourable areas, LFA (may contain Natura
  2000 wetlands)
• Agri environmental measures. Compulsory
  additional programmes for 2007-2013 required
• Products processed and marketed in water
  friendly way.
• Forestation subsidies to be directed to areas
  with sensitive ground water or for creating
  buffer strips
• Adoption and development or rural areas

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6 Development of the CAP from point of view of
water protection

• Progress report of the CAP and Communication No
  2002/394. Proposals
• Decoupling subsidies based on former support,
  free choice of crops geographical differences in
  pollution load
• Cross compliance requirements from 14 directives
  on Health protection, ocupational environment,
  animal welfare etc as precondition for receiving
  futher subsidies.
• Modulation and degressivity Gradual decrease of
  direct subsidies to production activites. 6 to
  rural dev
• New temporary and decreasing measures in the EU
  rural development policy for implementing
  compulsory environmental standards
• Abandonment of land for protecting the
  environment

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WFD implementation and CAP reform
STEP 1 2003 River basins borders, WFD transposed into national legislation After the pragress report for CAP a long term activity plan For sustainable agriculture was compiled
STEP 2 2004 RB characterised, econ analyses of water use, environm. quality objectives water prot. areas, human act impacts Komisjon koostab koondaruande liikmesriikide CAP vahearuannetest. Kommunikatsioon Agenda 2007 ja vajadusel seaduse täiendmamise ettepanekud
STEP 3 2005 Planning program of measures, outline of RBMP, start of monitoring programme Discussion and adoption of AGENDA 2007 With relevand budget proposal
STEP 3 2006 Publishing TIMETABLE AND WORKPLAN for RBMP, 6 months for comments Discussion and adoption of new Rural Development Plans
STEP 4 2007 Publishing IMPORTANT WATER MANAGEMENT ISSUES, 6 months for coments Implementing new rural development plans
STEP 5 2008 Publishing DRAFT RBMP, 6 months for comments
STEP 6 2009 Publishing final version of RBMP, progr of measures
STEP 7 2012 Implementation of programme of measures 2013- end of the next cycle of rural development plans
STEP 8 2015 Evaluation and updating in every 6th year

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7 New environmental standards

• Water Framework Directive sets new environmental
  standards (leading to different limitations in
  different river basins). Member States must
  declare how they plan to ensure that new
  standards will be met. Possibilities
• Obligatory management requirements (as the
  preconditions for paying subsidies)
• Compensations to farmers in NATURA 2000 (wetland)
  areas.
• New measure temporary and decreasing subsidies
  helping to get used to new requirements.
• In selected, especially endangered areas
  sufficient economic subsidies in the form of
  agrienvironmental measures.

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8 Conclusions

• During the next CAP financing cycle (2007-2003)
  the
• WFD can be implemented via...
• ...possibilities that already exist in the
  current CAP
• ...changing voluntary Good Agricultural Practices
  into an obligation
• ...subsidies to farmers who go beyond obligatory
  requirements (it may be done under the
  agrienvironmental measures)
• ...subsidies for meeting new environmental
  standards.
• As a completely new measure under Water Framework
  Directive implementation
• Or as a new support under current Less Favorable
  Areas chapter (EC Regulation No 1257/1999 art 16,
  compensations in Natura 2000 wetlands)
• ...better collaboration of the authorities
  planning rural development and river basin
  management plans.