EuroChoices最新文献

Il existe un décalage persistant au sein de l'Union européenne (UE) entre un objectif officiel majeur déclaré de la dernière version de la politique agricole commune (PAC), qui fait toujours référence à la garantie d'un "niveau de vie équitable pour la communauté agricole" (un objectif clairement social), et la manière dont les revenus des agriculteurs sont officiellement mesurés et les interventions conçues. Le mauvais ciblage des cas de faibles revenus, qui devraient correspondre à des niveaux de vie inférieurs à l’équité, est susceptible de rendre la PAC vulnérable aux critiques pour son gaspillage de ressources publiques, mais cela a été ignoré pour des raisons politiques. Suite au retrait du Royaume-Uni de l'UE (‘Brexit’), la PAC ne s'y applique plus et les politiques agricoles britanniques ont pu abandonner l'objectif explicite de garantir le niveau de vie des ménages agricoles. Il n'existe aucune preuve fiable que, en tant que groupe, les ménages agricoles britanniques se caractérisent par une relative pauvreté en terme de revenu; bien que l'instabilité soit un problème, ils ont souvent de multiples sources de revenus et détiennent des richesses substantielles, ce qui a un impact sur leur niveau de vie potentiel. En l'absence de preuves de faibles revenus des ménages parmi ses agriculteurs, l'UE devrait-elle suivre l'exemple du Royaume-Uni et, en fait, transférer la responsabilité de la réduction de la pauvreté aux systèmes nationaux conçus pour résoudre ce problème dans la communauté?

In der EU besteht eine anhaltende Diskrepanz zwischen einem offiziell erklärten Ziel der jüngsten Version der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik (GAP), welche sich noch immer auf die Gewährleistung einer ‚angemessenen Lebenshaltung für die landwirtschaftliche Bevölkerung‘ (eindeutig ein soziales Ziel) bezieht, und der Art und Weise, wie die Einkommen der Landwirtinnen und Landwirte offiziell überwacht und Interventionen konzipiert werden. Eine unzureichende Ausrichtung auf einkommensschwache Fälle, in denen ein geringerer Lebensstandard zu erwarten ist, macht die GAP anfällig für den Vorwurf der Verschwendung öffentlicher Mittel, was jedoch aus politischen Gründen ignoriert wurde. Nach dem Austritt des Vereinigten Königreichs aus der EU (‚Brexit‘) gilt die GAP dort nicht mehr und die Agrarpolitik des Vereinigten Königreichs konnte das ausdrückliche Ziel, den Lebensstandard der landwirtschaftlichen Haushalte zu gewährleisten, aufgeben. Es gibt keine verlässlichen Belege dafür, dass landwirtschaftliche Haushalte im Vereinigten Königreich im Allgemeinen von relativer Einkommensarmut betroffen sind; obwohl Instabilität ein Problem darstellt. Sie verfügen häufig über mehrere Einkommensquellen und beträchtliche Vermögen, was sich jeweils auf ihren potenziellen Lebensstandard auswirkt. Mangels Beweisen für niedrige Haushaltseinkommen unter ihren Landwirtinnen und Landwirten: Sollte die EU dem Beispiel des Vereinigten Königreichs folgen und die Verantwortung für die

Long-term land leasing offers a viable alternative to land ownership in relation to increasing efficiency of agricultural production, economies of scale, and delivering environmental improvements in terms of land management. However, with no significant tenanted sector in Northern Ireland, access to land via long-term land leasing is limited. This study analysed the barriers and enablers of long-term land leasing. To achieve our objective, we employed a mixed methods approach. The results show that the main barriers to long-term land leasing were environmental concern (around how the land will be managed), inheritance tax implications and the potential effect of long-term land leasing on future succession plans of the farm business. We also found that as much as 70 per cent of the farmers surveyed believe the inclusion of a ‘break clause’ and the introduction of income tax incentives will encourage the adoption of long-term land leasing, while 61 per cent of the farmers stated that the environmental management of the land will encourage long-term land leasing. The study concluded that any model designed to encourage long-term land leasing in Northern Ireland should include clauses which cover the environmental management of the land and break clauses. Income tax incentives for landowners could also be considered.

The EU has proposed a voluntary framework for certification of carbon removals which remains vague on blue carbon and in particular, carbon removal through use of seaweeds. Seaweed is considered an emerging blue carbon option. Various studies have confirmed the potential of seaweed to contribute to long-term carbon removal, storing it away from the atmosphere for 100 years and more. Certification of seaweed carbon sequestration is promoted, even in other EU communications. This article reviews early experiences with certification of carbon and nutrient removal by aquaculture using the QU.A.L.ITY criteria proposed by the EU. Examples reviewed include the Seaweed Company, Venice Bay, Yokohama Bayside marine, and Chesapeake Bay in the USA. After reviewing these examples, we call on the European Commission to move forward towards certification of blue carbon. If the EU is to lead global climate mitigation efforts, including carbon removal, it should take seaweed blue carbon seriously and include it in its voluntary framework. To enhance the awareness of the relevance and the acceptance of the carbon credits from seaweed, a methodology has to be developed that, building on experiences gained, deals with inherent uncertainties.

Direct intervention in the size of livestock numbers is not considered a main option in European agri-environmental policies nor in policy studies. Nevertheless, the governments of the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) have announced livestock buyout schemes. This article contributes to the scarce literature on this policy instrument by sketching the characteristics of different types of buyout schemes. We analyse how the issue of reducing livestock numbers is being framed in four EU Member States with high livestock dense regions: the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), Denmark and Germany. While the debate on ‘technology versus volume’ can be observed in all four countries, the ‘nitrogen crises’ in the first two has led to a reframing of concerns over livestock numbers in relation to place-based deterioration of habitats and the possibility of granting permits for new economic activities, rather than as a global issue of mitigating climate change. Pre-existing institutional frameworks influence the introduction and design of new buyout policies. In the context of high political pressure, existing policies to close down farms were reinforced and nutrient emission rights systems offered the opportunity to take production rights out of the market. Notwithstanding the policies and available budgets, the issue of direct intervention to reduce livestock numbers remains controversial.

The AKIS (Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System) concept is now widely applied in the EU partly due to latest CAP regulation. Visualisation-based AKIS diagnosis relies on the iterative elaboration of an AKIS diagram that provides a static picture of what elements of the system are linked through what kind of relations in which socio-economic contexts and environments. In this article we discuss the implications of using the visualised AKIS diagnosis method based on our empirical assessment of AKIS in 28 European countries. The method involved drafting AKIS diagrams based on targeted desk research, conducting dialogues with experts affiliated with or overseeing prominent knowledge organisations to adjust and refine the diagrams and to analyse actor diversity and linkages. The final diagrams and the background reports on AKIS appraisal were used to deepen the AKIS understanding among various stakeholders in the agriculture sector, as well as an input for the CAP strategic plan preparation in some countries. We conclude that the visualised AKIS diagnosis has a great potential to make complex knowledge infrastructures and exchange processes tangible. However, it also comes with risks, for example, that the snapshot in time may become misleading, through being an outdated or erroneous representation.