L 30/100 Official Journal of the European Union 31.1.2009 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 74/2009 of 19 January 2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, and in particular Articles 36 and 37 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ('), After consulting the European Economic and Social Committee (?), After consulting the Committee of the Regions (%), Whereas: 1 In the assessment of the implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform of 2003, climate change, renewable energies, water management, biodiver- sity and dairy restructuring were identified as crucial new challenges for European agriculture. In this context, the Commission presented a Communica- tion to the European Parliament and Council entitled ‘Preparing for the “Health Check” of the CAP reform’ on 20 November 2007. That Communication and the subse- quent discussions of its main elements by the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, as well as numerous contributions arising from public consultation should be taken into account. The Community, as party to the Kyoto Protocol (*), has been called upon to implement and/or further elaborate policies and measures in accordance with their national circumstances, such as the promotion of sustainable forms of agriculture in the light of climate change consid- erations. Furthermore, the Kyoto Protocol obliges parties to formulate, implement, publish and regularly update national and, where appropriate, regional programmes containing measures to mitigate climate change and measures to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate change. Such programmes would, inter alia, concern agri- culture and forestry. The role of support for rural devel- opment should be further strengthened in this context. Strong scientific evidence underlines the need for urgent action. The Community has also been called upon to (") Opinion of 19 November 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (*) Opinion of 23 October 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Opinion delivered following non-compulsory consultation. (*) Opinion of 8 October 2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Opinion delivered following non-compulsory consultation. (*) Adopted by Council Decision 2002/358/EC (O] L 130, 15.5.2002, 1). p-1) examine all possible ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Although  European  agriculture  has contributed more than other sectors to curbing green- house gas emissions, in the future the agriculture sector will be called upon to step up its emission reduction efforts as part of the EU global climate change strategy. Following serious problems related to water scarcity and droughts, the Council, in its Conclusions on ‘Water Scar- city and Drought’ of 30 October 2007, considered that water management issues, including water quality, should be further addressed in the relevant CAP instruments. It is essential for European agriculture to have sustainable water management, in order to improve efficiency as regards the quantity of water used for agriculture and in order to better protect the quality of water. In the context of the climatic changes expected, drought-affected areas are likely to increase in extent and frequency. Furthermore, the Council has emphasised in its Conclu- sions on ‘Halting the Loss of Biodiversity’ of 18 December 2006, that protecting biodiversity remains a major chal- lenge, which is further increased by climate change and water demand, and that, while important progress has been made, the attainment of the Community’s biodiver- sity target for 2010 will require additional -efforts. European agriculture has a key role to play in protecting biodiversity. It is important that operations related to these Com- munity priorities are further strengthened in the rural development programmes approved in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 (®). Innovation can, in particular, contribute to the develop- ment of new technologies, products and processes and will therefore underpin the efforts to tackle climate change, renewable energies, water management and biodiversity. Specific support for innovation should be provided with reference to these challenges, in order to increase the effectiveness of the respective operations. The expiry of the milk quota regime in 2015 under Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural () OJL277,21.10.2005, p. 1.