Securing the environmental ambition of the CAP

ClientEarth proposes four priority areas to enhance the environmental ambition of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP): the establishment of an EU-wide strategic plan with SMART targets, increased transparency and stakeholder participation in line with the Aarhus Convention, the provision of independent agroecological farm advisory services, and the strengthening of conditionality rules to include key environmental directives.

• ClientEarth argues that an EU-level strategic plan for agriculture is essential to prevent the 'renationalisation' of policy and to ensure that national plans do not reflect 'poor environmental ambition'. This plan should establish 'quantifiable and time bound targets' for soil degradation, nutrient management, farmland biodiversity, and pesticides reduction.
• To ensure transparency and participation, ClientEarth recommends that CAP Strategic Plans and their annexes be made public both during the draft stage and after approval. They advocate for the inclusion of environmental NGOs and civil society in partnerships to ensure 'early and effective opportunities to participate' in accordance with the Aarhus Convention.
• The document suggests that Farm Advisory Services (FAS) must be 'independent of corporate interests' to ensure a separation between sales and advisory activities. It further proposes that FAS cover 'agroecology – or regenerative agricultural practices' and be subject to an EU-level registration or certification mechanism.
• ClientEarth proposes expanding the system of conditionality by including specific provisions from the Water Framework Directive, Habitats Directive, and Birds Directive. Specifically, it emphasizes the 'polluter pays principle' regarding nitrate pollution and the need to avoid 'unsustainable use of water' in agricultural models, particularly as climate change increases the intensification of droughts.
• The document recommends that conditionality rules be strengthened to include the Plant Protection Product Regulation (specifically Article 55 and Article 67 on record keeping) and the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive regarding Integrated Pest Management.

APA

ClientEarth (2019). Securing the environmental ambition of the CAP. https://www.clientearth.org/media/n0pki2y0/2019-10-21-securing-the-environmental-ambition-of-the-cap-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Securing the environmental ambition of the CAP. 2019. https://www.clientearth.org/media/n0pki2y0/2019-10-21-securing-the-environmental-ambition-of-the-cap-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Securing the environmental ambition of the CAP |date=21 October 2019 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/n0pki2y0/2019-10-21-securing-the-environmental-ambition-of-the-cap-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2019securing, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Securing the environmental ambition of the CAP}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/n0pki2y0/2019-10-21-securing-the-environmental-ambition-of-the-cap-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }