With the start of the new funding period for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2023, the EU’s agri-environmental support schemes have changed significantly. The reform has brought not only new instruments but also greater complexity: the administrative burden on the federal states has increased, whilst the funding system has become less transparent for farms. Experience from recent years shows that the instruments need to become more effective and efficient – particularly with a view to the next funding period starting in 2028.
This is where the ‘BiodivGAP’ project comes in. Its aim is to compile the environmental measures of the current CAP and assess their potential impact on biodiversity. At the same time, it aims to create a basis for a more coherent and targeted development of agri-environmental support.
The kick-off meeting took place in Bonn on March 10, 2026. The clients – the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) – outlined the background and their expectations for the two-year project. The project team, comprised of IfLS Beratung und Projekte GmbH, entera – Umweltplanung und IT, and the Chair of Agricultural Economics at the University of Rostock, then presented their methodological approach. Another key aspect was the close coordination with a parallel project funded by the Federal Environment Agency, which focuses primarily on the abiotic effects of the CAP.
The first key step – and at the same time the foundation for both projects – is now the compilation of a comprehensive database of the current Strategic Plan’s environmental measures. The project team assesses their relevance to biodiversity and, building on this, analysing their potential impacts. The aim is to develop recommendations for a future CAP that supports environmental objectives more effectively.
Contact persons at IfLS: Jörg Schramek (schramek[at]ifls.de); Heike Nitsch (nitsch[at]ifls.de)
