Revision of the State aid Guidelines in the Agriculture and Forestry sectors and in rural areas

ClientEarth argues that the revised State aid Guidelines and ABER for agriculture and forestry must be fully integrated with the EU Green Deal, the polluter pays principle, and the precautionary principle to avoid compromising environmental protection. The organization recommends strengthening compliance with Union environmental law, refining definitions for carbon farming and forests to prevent biodiversity loss, and increasing transparency in how aid is reported and monitored. Specific concerns are raised regarding aid for irrigation, which may cause a 'rebound effect' increasing water consumption, and the use of forest biomass for energy, which ClientEarth argues should be strictly limited to residues and follow the cascading principle. The document also suggests that aid for climate-related disaster recovery should be conditional on implementing adaptation measures to minimize future losses.

• The revised Guidelines and ABER should be fully aligned with the EU Green Deal, specifically the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy, and must integrate the polluter pays and precautionary principles.
• ClientEarth recommends that the definition of 'carbon farming' be expanded to include a holistic greenhouse gas balance (including methane and nitrous oxide) and be tied to soil health and biodiversity objectives to prevent negative impacts on nature.
• Current rules for irrigation aid are deemed insufficient to prevent the financing of new irrigated areas or modernizations that increase water extraction pressure, potentially leading to a 'rebound effect' where efficiency gains are offset by increased production.
• Aid for the production of biofuels and the use of forest biomass for energy should be strictly limited; specifically, the growing of any trees for energy production should be ineligible for aid, and biomass use should follow the 'cascading principle'.
• To improve accountability, ClientEarth proposes that Member States report and publish their commitment to grant aid before it is actually granted and that the Commission actively monitor these reporting obligations.
• Aid for repairing assets after adverse climatic events should be conditional on the inclusion of climate change adaptation measures to reduce the risk of future damage.

APA

ClientEarth (2022). Revision of the State aid Guidelines in the Agriculture and Forestry sectors and in rural areas. https://www.clientearth.org/media/4kqju1cm/clientearth-observations-on-state-aid-guidelines-for-agriculture-and-for.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. Revision of the State aid Guidelines in the Agriculture and Forestry sectors and in rural areas. 2022. https://www.clientearth.org/media/4kqju1cm/clientearth-observations-on-state-aid-guidelines-for-agriculture-and-for.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=Revision of the State aid Guidelines in the Agriculture and Forestry sectors and in rural areas |date=March 2022 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/4kqju1cm/clientearth-observations-on-state-aid-guidelines-for-agriculture-and-for.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2022revision, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{Revision of the State aid Guidelines in the Agriculture and Forestry sectors and in rural areas}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/4kqju1cm/clientearth-observations-on-state-aid-guidelines-for-agriculture-and-for.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }