Outcomes from the Natura 2000 and Agriculture Workshop in Brussels

Photo by Marc Wieland on Unsplash

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On 28th of September in Brussels, EUROPARC attended a very interesting workshop on Natura 2000 and Agriculture, following up on the European Commission’s Action Plan for nature, people and the economy,. The workshop was jointly organised by the European Network for Rural Development and the European Commission’s Directorate-Generals for agriculture (DG AGRI) and environment (DG ENV).

The aim of the event was to explore how to make an effective use of support possibilities for Natura 2000 under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The workshop enabled lively debate and cooperation among national and regional authorities in charge of agriculture and the environment, and environmental organisations, with the aim of increasing synergies between Natura 2000 and the Rural Development Programmes. It concluded that

existing rural development tools can be effectively used for nature conservation purposes. Further adjustments to the RDPs are possible to better address the needs of Natura 2000 sites, especially in relation to forestry.

EU Agri-Environmental Schemes

Good practice examples were presented at the event, highlighted the potential of Results-based Agri-environment Schemes to deliver nature conservation objectives while acknowledging that farmers’ engagement is key to their success. Other examples demonstrated that effective nature-related projects piloted under the LIFE Programme could be scaled up with EAFRD support.

The event gathered over 70 participants from 22 EU Member States, including representatives of national and regional RDP Managing Authorities, environmental organisations, the European Commission and the ENRD Contact Point. 

In order to better integrate nature conservation and agriculture in the future, dialogue and collaboration among the two different DGs and all stakeholders is crucial, therefore participants very appreciated the inputs received in that direction during this event.

 

Downloads

The key presentations from the DGs are available here:

The Birds and Habitats Directive and the Nature Action Plan, Jérémie Crespin, DG ENV

Rural development toolbox for Natura 2000, Krzysztof Sulima, DG AGRI

Farming for biodiversity: Available know-how on results-based agri-environment payment schemes (RBAPS), Vujadin Kovacevic, DG ENV

  

More info about the event and all case-studies presentations here.

International Tourism Day: High-Level Conference in the European Parliament

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article issued by Stefania Petrosillo, EUROPARC Federation Policy Officer

The European Parliament hosted a high-level conference in Brussels on 27th of September 2017, as a celebration of the International Tourism Day, themed

A European strategy to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism industry’.

The presence of key representatives from all European and International Institutions made this event particularly interesting:

  • Mr Tajani, President of the European Parliament;
  • Jyrki KATAINEN, Vice-President of the European Commission, in charge of Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness;
  • Elżbieta BIEŃKOWSKA, EU Commissioner in charge of Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs;
  • Irina BOKOVA, UNESCO Director-General;
  • Karmenu VELLA, EU Commissioner in charge of Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries;
  • Tibor NAVRACSICS, EU Commissioner in charge of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport;
  • several Members of the European Parliament.

Tourism in Europe

Opening the ceremony, Mr Tajani declared that Europe is the first tourism destination in the world and affirmed: “Tourism is a key sector for all our Member States, accounting for 10% of GDP and jobs in the European Union.  It is an industry in its own right, an essential part of the mosaic which makes up Europe’s industrial fabric.”

Between now and 2025, the number of tourists coming to Europe may double as well – to more than one billion – creating more than 5 million new jobs. If we want to make this possibility a reality, we need to focus our efforts in a number of areas: attracting more investment, by means of a strategic plan which enables us to make greater and more effective use of EU funding; improving the business environment; promoting training commensurate with the needs of the industry; governing the digital revolution; exploiting synergies with a view to promoting Europe as a destination on international markets”, explained Mr Tajani

Sustainability = Competitiveness

Facing the growth of the tourism sector in Europe, The Commissioner Vella (who was Minister for Tourism in Malta in 2 mandates) stressed that

it is crucial to plan efficacy and take the right decisions. Europe is the first tourism destination in the world, but this is not enough: it has to be the first sustainable tourism destination.

The environment is the key to the success to be competitive as more than ever tourists demand sustainability and expect sustainable eco-experiences. Unsustainable tourism is not-competitive tourism. However, in order to reach it, we have to be proactive and not reactive when we speak about the environment. To protect natural resources must be an integral part of the tourism sector. Europe as many good examples and tools that can become general standard practices (ETIS, ECOLABEL, EMAS, SMIs sustainable projects financed by COSME, EDEN, etc.). Mr Vella also mentioned Natura 2000 and its potentiality for sustainable economic activities, as tourism, and the role of marine protected areas to promote coastal sustainable tourism.

Tourism: Natural & Cultural Heritage

Mr Navracsics, EU Commissioner in charge of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, recalled that 2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage, a theme clearly related to tourism. The connection among tourism, culture and nature has been also evocated by Mrs Irina Bokova, General Director of UNESCO, who mentioned the Geoparks and World Heritage Sites networks.

2018 will be also the European Union and China Tourism Year and several initiatives have been mentioned to promote EU as a destination for the Chinese market.

Finally, taking into consideration the importance of the sector for Europe, the general request emerging from the conference has been that the EU, although in respecting the subsidiarity principle, will play a stronger role and develop a specific policy of tourism.

Two other connected events animated this long day of celebration: the meeting “EU financing for innovation in tourism”, organised by the European Committee of the Regions and NECSTOUR, aimed at reinforcing the regional innovation capacity and strengthening cooperation between EU regions to facilitate EU-wide and interregional public-private investments to support innovation projects in tourism; and the final high-level reception, hosted by Mr Tajani and MEP Tapardel of the Intergroup for Tourism Development, where EP and EC expressed again the will to collaborate for developing tourism in Europe.

Downloads

The opening ceremony speeches are available here:

http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?sitelang=en&ref=I143882&videolang=INT

OTHER DOCUMENTS:

Overview of topics

Sustainable tourism: The environmental dimension (available in several languages):

Major challenges for EU tourism and policy responses

European Parliament resolution of 29 October 2015 on new challenges and concepts for the promotion of tourism in Europe (available in all EU languages):

See also the recently launched Guide to EU funding for tourism 2017

Launched Annual Activity Report 2016 – CAP performance

Crops in Bayern., Germany © Joao Romba (rombaimages.pt)

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On the 25.09.2017, during the Commission Agriculture of the European Parliament meeting, Jerzy Plewa, Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission (DG AGRI), presented to MEPs the report on the DG’s “Annual Activity Report 2016 – CAP performance”. The report details achievements, initiatives taken and the financial and human resources spent during 2016.

Download here the CAP Annual Activity Report and here the Annexes.

Many technical aspects were discussed, but also interesting general aspects emerged. Among them, DG AGRI stressed the difficulty to receive enough and complete data from the Member States, that could be useful to evaluate the real link, and the impact, between biodiversity and agriculture.

The following debate between MEPs and DG AGRI showed how much evaluations, visions, and expectations of the present and future CAP are different.  Download here the presentation of Jerzy Plewa, Director General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission (DG AGRI)

The full European Parliament Meeting is available here (the debate about CAP starts at about 02.33.40 minutes).