WRITTEN QUESTION E-2616/99 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission. Agri-environment expenditure.
3. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 280 E/83 (2000/C 280 E/085) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2616/99 by Chris Davies (ELDR) to the Commission (12 January 2000) Subject: Agri-environment expenditure What percentage of common agricultural policy expenditure is devoted to agri-environment schemes (intended to ensure that agricultural activities are compatible with the maintenance of landscapes, species and habitats) in each of the 15 Member States? Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (7 February 2000) One of the key objectives of the common agricultural policy (CAP) lies in safeguarding and improving the environment. While this role had already been created prior to the 1999 reform, it has become even more crucial under Agenda 2000. By way of example, the measures aimed at supporting farmers in less-favoured areas, and the provisions allowing direct aid to be granted to farmers subject to certain environmental constraints, play an important role where the environment is concerned. However, the budgetary cost of such measures is not entered as environmental expenditure since the environment is but one of the targets of measures of this type. As regards exclusively environmental measures provided for by specific legislation and financed solely by the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), expenditure for the 1999 financial year totalled € 1 951 million. This represents 4,93 % of the total expenditure of € 39 524 million for the financial year, i. e. an increase of more than one quarter on the average for 1996-1999. In view of the foregoing, however, it would be wrong to conclude that this percentage of CAP expenditure alone contributes towards safeguarding and improving the environment. The Commission would remind the Honourable Member that EAGGF funding for agri-environment measures is matched by Member State co-funding on a one-for-one basis in non-Objective 1 areas and at a rate of 75 % Community funding and 25 % Member State funding in Objective 1 areas. Total expenditure on agri-environment schemes is, therefore, higher than the EAGGF expenditure indicated below. As regards the breakdown of expenditure on exclusively environmental measures in each Member State, the average for the financial years from 1996 to 1999 is as follows: Member State EAGGF Guarantee expenditure Environment Environment/EAGGF (%) (million euro) BE DK DE GR ES FR IRL IT LU NL AT PT FI SE UK 992,7 1 250 5 775 2 664 4 789 9 260 1 761,5 4 507,5 20,7 1 491,1 938 643,7 587,7 669,5 Total 4 002,7 39 450,8 2,07 7,67 275,3 6,17 50,2 114,7 99,25 275,65 3,27 11,2 336,6 57,2 166,6 86,02 41,9 1 534,2 0,21 0,61 4,76 0,23 1,05 1,24 5,63 6,11 15,78 0,75 35,89 8,89 28,34 12,84 1,04 3,88