News » Seminar 'Common Agricultural Policy for 2014-2020'
12.11.2013
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The seminar 'Common AgriculturalPolicy for 2014-2020: challenges and perspectives in implementingenvironmental commitments was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 11 November2013, and was arranged under the Lithuanian EU presidency and broughttogether 60 members of governments, national agencies, regionalorganizations, scientific institutions, farmers' organizations andadvisory services, non-governmental organizations and industryrepresentatives from the whole region.
20speakers representing a wide range of stakeholders presented theirviews. The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) is now set upto address three challenges: (1)saving the sea, (2) connecting theregion and (3) increasing prosperity. In order to respond to thechallenge of saving the sea, the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) isinstrumental to the implementation of the EUSBSR. Due to its unique wayof addressing challenges for an entire region, the EUSBSR has nowserved as a model for similar initiatives in the Danube and Black Searegions.
Speakers stressed the sensitive nature ofthe Baltic Sea and the need to use agri-environmental measures to meetthe challenges. Several Flagship Projects and Horizontal Actions, set upunder the strategy, have explored increased
regionalcooperation on agri-environment measures as a way to reduce run-off ofnutrients from farming and thereby contribute to the restoration of ahealthy Baltic Sea. Several projects with focus to reduce agriculturalrun-off to the Baltic Sea have engaged farmers, advisors, agencies andministries around the sea.
Otherinitiatives ,outside of the Strategy, have served to increasecooperation between the agricultural sector and environmental NGOs. In abreak-out group, participants shared thes uccessful outcomes ofprojects, like Baltic Compass and Baltic Deal, which have includeddifferent actors within the agricultural sector while other projects,such as Snowbal and Meatbal, as well as the Baltic Farmer of the YearAward, were initiated by the WWF and its
partners, such as the Lithuanian Fund for Nature.
Manyof these projects have now been concluded, or are about to conclude.Participants discussed the need for, and potential organization of, aplatform for continued dialogue and exchange of experiences acrosssectors and across borders in the region. In a parallel group,participants shared experiences from the development of agri-environmentmeasures in their respective countries.
Manyparticipants expressed frustration over diminishing resources foragri-environment measures and over ambiguity in the application of thegreening component. A list of priority measures emerged from thediscussion:
1. The use of nutrient balances in application of fertilizers
2. Organic farming
3. Buffer zones
4. Restoration and management of we tlands
5. Winter green cover
Aconcluding session to discuss the need for increased cooperation agreedon a recommendation from the seminar: 'That stakeholders work togetherto create a cross-sectorial, cross-border platform to act as ademocratic forum for stakeholders from the environmental andagricultural sectors in the Baltic Sea Region to share and discussexperiences and best environmental practices with the aim to reducenutrient run-off from agriculture and to strengthen cooperation betweenagricultural and environmental sectors in the region through dialogue'.
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