Conference "Agriculture and Accession"

Taking place 5 months after the CAP reform and 6 months before the EU Enlargement, the conference was attended by 150 participants – politicians, civil servants, farmer representatives, academics and NGOs from across the whole region entering the EU next year.

Download The Conference Report (1.6 MB, pdf, 107 pages). The report includes the speeches, presentations and workshop outcomes as well as all other conference documents.

Or read the conference speeches and workshop outcomes in the Programme.

Download The CAPacity-Building Manual (1.2 MB, pdf, 80 pages). This FoEE publication is a compilation of basic documents and facts and figures on the Common Agricultural Policy, its history, structure, the last reform, enlargement and rural development. The manual is supposed to serve as a tool for NGOs working on agriculture issues and was given to all participants of the Krakow Conference.

Read the Krakow Declaration presented at the conference and sent to all EU-25 agriculture ministers and other politicians. The Declaration has been signed by 217 NGOs from 39 countries. See the ministers' replies!

The conference had the following aims:

1. stimulate public discussion and raise awareness on the impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the environment, nature, biodiversity and countryside in Accession Countries

2. strengthen civil society through capacity-building, networking, skill-sharing and alliance-building among stakeholders from environmental, farmer, health and consumer NGOs from both new and old member states of the EU

3. discuss, clarify and bring to the fore a common NGO political agenda and strategy for influencing agricultural policy and CAP implementation in the Accession Countries

Agriculture and Accession: What is at Stake?

Within a couple of months, ten new countries will join the European Union and their farmers will begin to receive subsidies under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This will bring about a major social and environmental challenge for the region.

Agricultural landscapes in Accession countries include areas with less intensive forms of production characterised by richer wildlife and biodiversity. Agriculture in most Accession countries employs relatively more people than in the current EU-15 countries with smaller and family-run farms typical for many areas.

However, biodiversity could be destroyed and small farms quickly wiped out if the new member countries take on the current agricultural policy and practices of the EU. Implementation of the CAP together with elimination of trade barriers and ongoing eastward expansion of big supermarket chains could contribute to intensification of farm production with higher use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides as well as to concentration of the farming sector and rural abandonment.

The last reform of the CAP agreed in June 2003 unfortunately does not prevent the mistakes of the past being repeated in the Accession Countries. Nevertheless, the example of former Accession countries shows that governments can implement the CAP in various ways with very different outcomes. Rural development policies and agri-environmental programmes offer an opportunity for the sustainable development of agriculture and rural economies.

The question now is: where will the Accession countries go once they join the EU? Will they take advantage of their unique rural environments to produce high quality healthy food, or will they choose the path of agricultural intensification, and thus make the same mistakes as the EU-15?

Read our new briefing on impacts of the EU enlargement on agriculture and the environment (FoEE, April 2004).

EU ACCESSION and AGRICULTURE: Making CAP Work for People and the Environment International Conference in Villa Decius, Krakow, Poland, 6– 8 November, 2003

Taking place 5 months after the CAP reform and 6 months before the EU Enlargement, the conference was attended by 150 participants – politicians, civil servants, farmer representatives, academics and NGOs from across the whole region entering the EU next year. Download The Conference Report (1.6 MB, pdf, 107 pages). The report includes the speeches, presentations and workshop outcomes as well as all other conference documents. Or read the conference speeches and workshop outcomes in the Programme. Download The CAPacity-Building Manual (1.2 MB, pdf, 80 pages). This FoEE publication is a compilation of basic documents and facts and figures on the Common Agricultural Policy, its history, structure, the last reform, enlargement and rural development. The manual is supposed to serve as a tool for NGOs working on agriculture issues and was given to all participants of the Krakow Conference. Read the Krakow Declaration presented at the conference and sent to all EU-25 agriculture ministers and other politicians. The Declaration has been signed by 217 NGOs from 39 countries. See the ministers' replies! The conference had the following aims: 1. stimulate public discussion and raise awareness on the impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the environment, nature, biodiversity and countryside in Accession Countries 2. strengthen civil society through capacity-building, networking, skill-sharing and alliance-building among stakeholders from environmental, farmer, health and consumer NGOs from both new and old member states of the EU 3. discuss, clarify and bring to the fore a common NGO political agenda and strategy for influencing agricultural policy and CAP implementation in the Accession Countries Agriculture and Accession: What is at Stake? Within a couple of months, ten new countries will join the European Union and their farmers will begin to receive subsidies under the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This will bring about a major social and environmental challenge for the region. Agricultural landscapes in Accession countries include areas with less intensive forms of production characterised by richer wildlife and biodiversity. Agriculture in most Accession countries employs relatively more people than in the current EU-15 countries with smaller and family-run farms typical for many areas. However, biodiversity could be destroyed and small farms quickly wiped out if the new member countries take on the current agricultural policy and practices of the EU. Implementation of the CAP together with elimination of trade barriers and ongoing eastward expansion of big supermarket chains could contribute to intensification of farm production with higher use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides as well as to concentration of the farming sector and rural abandonment. The last reform of the CAP agreed in June 2003 unfortunately does not prevent the mistakes of the past being repeated in the Accession Countries. Nevertheless, the example of former Accession countries shows that governments can implement the CAP in various ways with very different outcomes. Rural development policies and agri-environmental programmes offer an opportunity for the sustainable development of agriculture and rural economies. The question now is: where will the Accession countries go once they join the EU? Will they take advantage of their unique rural environments to produce high quality healthy food, or will they choose the path of agricultural intensification, and thus make the same mistakes as the EU-15? Read our new briefing on impacts of the EU enlargement on agriculture and the environment (FoEE, April 2004). See also an article on impacts of the CAP in Central and Eastern Europe by experts from the Polish Ecological Club (FoE Poland). home		o Programme including speeches and outcomes o Krakow Declaration o Links and further reading o The organisers o Food and Farming: Time to Choose! FoEE agriculture campaign website