Environmental Integration and the CAP: A Report to the European Commission

This study- conducted on behalf of the European Commission- aims to identify the principal environmental concerns related to agriculture in Europe. It also develops an informed understanding of the distinction between CAP driven environmental issues in agriculture and those relating to other factors and thus identifies and evaluates the main options for integration within the CAP.

The study was based on both a literature survey and consultation with stakeholders. The principal objectives were to:

• identify the principal environmental concerns related to agriculture in Europe and consider the main factors and driving forces giving rise to these concerns
• develop an informed understanding of the distinction between CAP driven environmental issues in agriculture and those relating to other factors, such as technical, economic and structural developments, and changes in other policies;
• use this understanding to explore the scope and means for further integrating the environment into the CAP;
• thus identify and evaluate the main options for integration within the CAP, particularly ‘add-on-instrument’ approaches (such as agri-environmental measures), and ‘add-on- objective’ approaches (such as cross-compliance); and
• assess the compatibility and complementarity of integration approaches within the CAP with environmental policies and
• briefly assess the budgetary implications of different integration strategies.

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