Publications Agriculture and food

Will the obligation of environmental results green the CAP?

19 June 2020 - Climate Report - By : Thomas BONVILLAIN / Claudine FOUCHEROT / Valentin BELLASSEN

One of the main elements of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the 2021-2027 exercise is the shift of part of the funding towards an obligation to achieve environmental results. Is that an expensive development? Environmentally effective? In order to answer these questions, this I4CE study analyses numerous mechanisms, more or less oriented towards performance obligation. 

 

First of all, the study shows that the distinction between the obligation of means and the obligation of result, or performance obligation, is too manichean. Pure performance requirements in the environmental field never really exist, the practical examples are placed on a continuum of more or less fine estimated results.

 

Estimating the costs of six schemes located on this continuum (Green Payment, Agro-Environmental and Climate Measure, aid for conversion to organic farming, High Environmental Value label and two carbon certification standards) then allows several conclusions to be drawn. First of all, the obligation of result is not necessarily more costly than the obligation of means: AECM for example, generally considered as obligations of means, is more expensive to administer than carbon certification frameworks, considered as obligations of results. The genericity of the system plays an essential role, allowing the costs of design and monitoring to be spread over a large number of farmers.

 

Secondly, with regard to the effectiveness of the instrument in terms of environmental impact, moving towards an obligation of result does not seem to be decisive as such. However, two factors are crucial: the ambition of the scheme and the level of requirement on additionality, for example by making the subsidy conditional on an improvement over an initial state.

 

Finally, the specific interest of the transition to the obligation of results seems to be the facilitation of the CAP environmental assessment, which would make it possible to redirect subsidies, if necessary, in the light of these impact data which are currently lacking.

 

The CAP reform opens up the possibility of introducing new types of payments under the 1st pillar eco-scheme and, in particular, carbon certification frameworks. They pay a lot of attention to the issue of additionality. Being neither more costly to put in place nor less effective than a AECM-type instrument, they could make their appearance within the CAP. The example of support for organic farming shows that supporting CAP support on external labels is not without precedent.

 

Thomas Bonvillain explains, in two minutes, the main lessons of this study. A video to watch in order to understand what the obligation of results under the CAP is and the interest it arouses.

 

To learn more
  • 06/12/2025
    Six years of carbon certification in France: an assessment of the Label Bas-Carbone

    Six years after its inception, this study aims to review this mechanism and its projects: what activities are being implemented in the field, what impact are they having on the climate, with what robustness or, on the contrary, what limitations in terms of measurement, environmental integrity, accessibility, etc.? This exercise is also intended to feed into the process of continuous improvement of the scheme and to provide feedback for the current implementation of the European carbon certification framework (Carbon removals and carbon farming: CRCF).

  • 03/24/2025
    TRAMe2035 Scenario for a transition of households dietary habits by 2035

    Current food production and consumption trends contribute to a range of public health, social and environmental problems. The need for a transition is no longer in doubt: we must move towards a system that produces healthy food with a low impact on ecosystems, is accessible to all, and ensures fair remuneration for producers. There’s no denying that the questions we raise here are politically and socially sensitive, as food is deeply connected to cultural, economic, environmental and health issues. Nevertheless, it is essential to develop ways to foster open discussion. IDDRI and I4CE have therefore joined forces with several other actors to provide insights for the debate.

  • 10/18/2024 Foreword of the week
    The climate transition of the food system in France and the role of EU funding

    The European Commission is due to deliver a Vision for Agriculture and Food, within the first 100 days of its new mandate. Feeding into this work, the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture (SDFA) published its report “A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe” in September. The spending under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and its alignment with the climate goals agreed at the EU level will be central to the next steps.  

See all publications
Press contact Amélie FRITZ Head of Communication and press relations Email
Subscribe to our mailing list :
I register !
Subscribe to our newsletter
Once a week, receive all the information on climate economics
I register !
Fermer