This report aims to provide a fair reflection of the progress, the achievements and obstacles in the integration of environmental concerns into EU agriculture policy, based on indicators developed in the IRENA operation. It also tackles limitations to successful policy implementation at Member State level, and challenges ahead. Policy examples from some Member States aim to show good practice in agri-environmental policy implementation or design. Due to the scope of the IRENA operation the analysis focuses on the EU-27 Member States. Assessing progress of environmental integration in any policy field is a challenging task. Progress depends not only on institutional structures and processes, or on the importance of environmental issues to policy making in a given policy area. It is also influenced by factors outside immediate policy influence, such as market trends, technological developments, international trade issues and interactions with other sectors. It is beyond the scope of this report to provide a full analysis of all relevant factors.

report; target; analyses; measures; standards; scheme; biodiversity

Presentation: oral