New member States and Cross Compliance: The case of Poland

The New Member States did not yet have to implement the full cross-compliance package. Currently the GEAC requirements in the conditionality clause for the direct payments. The SMRs will become part of it starting from 2009. This paper looks into the Polish case and looks whether timely implementation is feasible. Several factors are mentioned, indicating that this will be a hard task. The problems with implementation explain why the new member states are advocating a gradual phasing in of the SMRs

NEW MEMBER STATES AND CROSS COMPLIANCE: THE CASE OF POLAND

The New Member States did not yet have to implement the full cross-compliance package. Currently the GEAC requirements in the conditionality clause for the direct payments. The SMRs will become part of it starting from 2009. This paper looks into the Polish case and looks whether timely implementation is feasible. Several factors are mentioned, indicating that this will be a hard task. The problems with implementation explain why the new member states are advocating a gradual phasing in of the SMRs.cross-compliance, agricultural policy, Agricultural and Food Policy, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, C01, C02, Q12, Q13,

The Challenge of the Nitrate Directive to Acceding Countries: A Comparative Analysis of Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Ochrona klimatu jako obowiązek etyczny. Kwestia klimatyczna w encyklice Laudato si’

Powstrzymanie antropogennej zmiany klimatu należy do najważniejszych wyzwań, przed jakimi stoi współczesne pokolenie. Zagadnienie to jest jednym z tematów poruszonych w encyklice papieża Franciszka Laudato si’. Przyjmując za wiarygodne wyniki badań naukowych, wskazujących, że to człowiek odpowiada za obserwowane zmiany, papież wskazuje na przyczyny niszczenia przez człowieka klimatu, omawia, jak niebezpieczne mogą być ich skutki i wzywa do większej aktywności w ochronie klimatu. Analizowany dokument nie przedstawia jednak rozwiązań technicznych. Tym, co odróżnia encyklikę Laudato si’ od innych dokumentów dotyczących ochrony środowiska, jest nacisk, jaki papież kładzie na kwestie etyczne i moralne. Jednoznacznie wskazuje, że główną przyczyną obecnego kryzysu klimatycznego jest chciwość i egoizm. Dlatego w ocenie Autora niezbędne są przede wszystkim zmiany postaw ludzkich, solidarność ze słabszymi i wzrost odpowiedzialności za los przyszłych pokoleń. Celem artykułu jest analiza podejścia papieża do potrzeby ochrony klimatu oraz omówienie trzech głównych wyzwań, jakie papież wskazuje w tym zakresie: potrzeby zaufania nauce, wezwania do solidarności i apelu o aktywniejsze działania – o odwagę i większą odpowiedzialność w procesie podejmowania decyzji

Climate protection as an ethical challenge

Mitigation of the global climate change is one of the most important challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. It will require significant changes in the economy, consumption, the style of life. However, the climate protection is also an ethical problem. It is a problem of responsibility for the climate – the common good of all creatures. This article discusses selected ethical issues that are related to the implementation of climate policy. It was indicated that the acceptance of research results indicating human responsibility for climate change is a prerequisite for active climate action. It has also been found that the common but differentiated responsibility of individual countries is primarily due to their historical greenhouse gas emissions. It also results from the fact that most of the significant negative impacts of climate change will occur in the poorest countries, whose share of greenhouse gas emissions is very small. The rejection of human responsibility for climate change and the responsibility of rich societies for already occurring changes and their effects in developing countries means that climate mitigation actions are not being sufficiently addressed. Behind the Pope Francis repeated that without changing ethical attitudes towards the natural environment and accepting responsibility for the whole world around us, effective climate protection would not be possible

Compliance with mandatory standards in agriculture : a comparative approach of the EU vis-à-vis the United States, Canada and New Zealand

This report presents some of the interim results of the project 'Facilitating the CAP reform: Compliance and competitiveness of European agriculture'. It summarises and integrates the implementation of cross compliance measures in seven EU countries (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain and Poland), with a particular focus on the degree of compliance and the costs of compliance. Also, the implementation of similar measures is examined in three non-EU countries (Canada, United States and New Zealand)

Ekofilozoficzne przesłanie encykliki Laudato si’

W encyklice Laudato si’ papież Franciszek podsumowuje bogaty dorobek swoich poprzedników zawarty w wypowiedziach na temat kwestii ekologicznej. Począwszy od Pawła VI kolejni papieże wielokrotnie odnosili się do tej kwestii, podnosząc ją w różnych kontekstach i aspektach. Stanowisko papieża Franciszka aktywnie włącza wspólnotę Kościoła katolickiego w główny nurt współczesnej debaty ekologicznej, wykazując pełną gotowość do najszerzej rozumianej współpracy w badaniach i działaniach inspirowanych troską o Ziemię – nasz wspólny dom. Możliwość takiej współpracy dostrzega papież w porozumieniu ze wszystkimi ludźmi dobrej woli, którzy podzielają znaczenie wskazanych w niniejszym opracowaniu zagadnień: idea zrównoważonego rozwoju, idea ekologii integralnej, problematyka bioetyczna, kwestia klimatyczna i kwestia eko-sprawiedliwości

Communicating soil carbon science to farmers: incorporating credibility, salience and legitimacy

A key narrative within climate change science is that conserving and improving soil carbon through agricultural practices can contribute to agricultural productivity and is a promising option for mitigating carbon loss through sequestration. This paper examines the potential disconnect between science and practice in the context of communicating information about soil carbon management. It focuses on the information producing process and on stakeholder (adviser, farmer representative, policy maker etc) assessment of the attributes credibility, salience and legitimacy. In doing this it draws on results from consultations with stakeholders in the SmartSOIL project which aimed to provide decision support guidelines about practices that optimise carbon mitigation and crop productivity. An iterative methodology, used to engage stakeholders in developing, testing and validating a range of decision support guidelines in six case study regions across Europe, is described. This process enhanced legitimacy and revealed the importance, and the different dimensions, of stakeholder views on credibility and salience. The results also highlight the complexities and contested nature of managing soil carbon. Some insights are gained into how to achieve more effective communication about soil carbon management, including the need to provide opportunities in projects and research programmes for dialogue to engender better understanding between science and practice

Exploring the synergies between cross compliance and certification schemes

This report presents some of the interim results of the project 'Facilitating the CAP reform: Compliance and competitiveness of European agriculture'. It examines the similarities and differences between mandatory cross compliance standards and those set by voluntary certification schemes. There is a potential synergy between cross compliance and certification schemes, not least because both approaches set minimum standards and enforce those standards through inspection systems. Although there are some strong limitations, there is sufficient overlap in the standards set and in approaches to control to warrant further investigation of the potential for the harmonisation of standards and collaborative approaches to control

Managing Soil Organic Carbon: A Farm Perspective

Farming practices that lead to declining returns and inputs of carbon to soils pose a threat to key soil functions. The EU FP 7 interdisciplinary project Smart SOIL is using scientific testing and modeling to identify management practices that can optimize soil carbon storage and crop productivity. A consultation with advisors and policymakers in six European case study regions seeks to identify barriers to, and incentives for, uptake of such practices. Results from preliminary interviews are reported. Overall advisor and farmer awareness of management practices specifically directed towards soil carbon. is low. Most production- related decisions are taken in the short term, but managing soil carbon needs a long- term approach. Key barriers to uptake of practices include: perceived scientifi c uncertainty about the effi cacy of practices; lack of real life ?best practice? examples to show farmers; diffi culty in demonstrating the positive effects of soil carbon management practices and economic benefi ts over a long time scale; and advisors being unable to provide suitable advice due to inadequate information or training. Most farmers are unconvinced of the economic benefi ts of practices for managing soil carbon. Incentives are therefore needed, either as subsidies or as evidence of the cost effectiveness of practices. All new measures and advice should be integrated into existing programmes to avoid a fragmented policy approach