Regulation 2009/74 - Amendment of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 30/100

In the assessment of the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform of 2003, climate change, renewable energies, water management, biodiversity and dairy restructuring were identified as crucial new challenges for European agriculture.

In this context, the Commission presented a Communication to the European Parliament and Council entitled ‘Preparing for the “Health Check” of the CAP reform’ on 20 November 2007. That Communication and the subsequent discussions of its main elements by the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, as well as numerous contributions arising from public consultation should be taken into account.

The Community, as party to the Kyoto Protocol (4), has been called upon to implement and/or further elaborate policies and measures in accordance with their national circumstances, such as the promotion of sustainable forms of agriculture in the light of climate change considerations. Furthermore, the Kyoto Protocol obliges parties to formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national and, where appropriate, regional programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change and measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change. Such programmes would, inter alia, concern agriculture and forestry. The role of support for rural development should be further strengthened in this context. Strong scientific evidence underlines the need for urgent action. The Community has also been called upon to examine all possible ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Although European agriculture has contributed more than other sectors to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, in the future the agriculture sector will be called upon to step up its emission reduction efforts as part of the EU global climate change strategy.

Following serious problems related to water scarcity and droughts, the Council, in its Conclusions on ‘Water Scarcity and Drought’ of 30 October 2007, considered that water management issues, including water quality, should be further addressed in the relevant CAP instruments. It is essential for European agriculture to have sustainable water management, in order to improve efficiency as regards the quantity of water used for agriculture and in order to better protect the quality of water. In the context of the climatic changes expected, drought-affected areas are likely to increase in extent and frequency.

Furthermore, the Council has emphasised in its Conclusions on ‘Halting the Loss of Biodiversity’ of 18 December 2006, that protecting biodiversity remains a major challenge, which is further increased by climate change and water demand, and that, while important progress has been made, the attainment of the Community's biodiversity target for 2010 will require additional efforts. European agriculture has a key role to play in protecting biodiversity.

It is important that operations related to these Community priorities are further strengthened in the rural development programmes approved in accordance with Council Regulation (EC)...