European ministers have been heavily criticised for attempting to weaken biodiversity protection in the reformed Common Agricultural Policy.

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At a meeting of environment ministers in Brussels on Monday, calls for specific biodiversity goals to become part of the CAP reform proposals were abandoned at the behest of Germany, which rejected attempted compromises put forward by Poland; several states said accepting the changes would prejudge the outcome of ongoing talks between EU agriculture ministers.

The European Commission, which formally released its proposals for CAP reform in October, had pushed for areas of concern in biodiversity strategy to be dealt with under the CAP. Following a discussion lasting several hours, Germany succeeded in excising the entire paragraph on biodiversity objectives for the post-2013 CAP in the final version approved by ministers.

NGO and Commission reactions

Conservationists and greens within the parliament have slammed the decision as a victory for the interests of the farm lobby at the expense of the environment. Janez Potocnik, the European commissioner for the environment, said the Commission would not be deterred from pushing for biodiversity measures to feature in the CAP.

Conservation NGOs have criticised the move, claiming that agriculture ministers will henceforth be left alone to decide the level of environmental consideration in the reforms, which will clearly weaken environmentalists’ lobbying position. WWF Europe spokesperson Tony Long said, "Biodiversity should be mainstreamed in all relevant EU and national policies if we want these polices to deliver the economic and environmental benefits they are created for."

Ariel Brunner, head of European policy at BirdLife, said the decision represented a troubling harbinger which suggested environmental concern would not be taken seriously as CAP negotiations move forward. He warned, “Looking at environment ministers compromising for hours on the protection of what should be the core of their political mandate – biodiversity – is a dangerous preview of the fate of biodiversity left completely in the hands of agriculture ministers.”

Gareth Morgan, the RSPB’s head of countryside and species conservation policy, joined in the criticism, claiming the ministers were shirking their responsibilites. He said, “This is extremely disappointing and concerning.  If the EU is going to take its environmental goals seriously then it has to recognise the critical role the CAP plays. This decision suggests that the political will to ensure the CAP will deliver public good for public money is sadly lacking.

“This cannot be allowed to happen - the CAP has to play its part is reversing biodiversity declines and addressing other environmental problems. The UK Government needs to stand up to those who want to turn back the clock and make sure biodiversity objectives are central to the CAP. UK farmers have proven time and time again that they are willing and able to step up for the environment but they need to fight to make the CAP greener if they want it to continue into the future.”

Commission stance on LIFE programme criticised

On Monday 12th December, a week before the environment ministers met in Brussels, environmental NGOs criticised the European Commission for allocating insufficient funding to the LIFE programme, which finances biodiversity work in the EU. The EC had proposed a renewal of the program, but conservationists felt that it had been underfunded, given its importance in environmental protection.

Since its inception 20 years ago, the LIFE programme has been effective in bringing back species from the brink of extinction, including the Spanish Imperial Eagle and the Azores Bullfinch, although it receives less than 0.1 per cent of the overall budget. Groups including Birdlife said this level of funding is insufficient to meet European targets of reversing biodiversity loss by 2020.

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