GAEC implementation in the EU: situation and perspectives

The concept of Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) was introduced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform in 2003 within the framework of cross-compliance and implemented by the Member States since 2005. It includes the purposes of maintaining agricultural activities, avoiding the abandonment of the agricultural land and sustaining the environment. Following the first observed positive feedbacks obtained via the wide spread enforcement of environmental practices though the first CAP pillar, more and more emphasis is given to cross-compliance, and especially its GAEC component. This paper describes major approaches used in the different Member States in defining minimum requirements for GAEC standards and then discusses main issues and perspectives for a more effective and valuable implementation in the future.JRC.H.4-Monitoring agricultural resource