Policy briefings
As part of an ongoing strategy for embracing FAIR principles, the policy briefings are now being published in the Zenodo repository (EURAF repository) with a permalink and citable DOI. Please find here the updated list of the policy briefs:
Forestry and agroforestry have received very little support historically from the CAP, and in the new MFF the silos of funding and thinking between forestry and agriculture should be addressed. Below are ten of the reasons why much gerater integration of agriculture, forestry, environment, ...
Policy Briefing #70 v2 considers the impact of the removal of the GAEC8 landscape feature area targets by the 14/5/24 CAP Simplification Regulation (2024/1468). In principle, the replacement of the “stick” approach in the original GAEC8, with the “carrot” of addition...
Recommendations are given to support the role of agroforestry in EU voluntary carbon-farming schemes. Use of CAP eco-schemes, investment measures and agri-environment-climate measures during the first 5 years of agroforestry plantations can kick-start the adoption of agroforestry areas into carbo...
Policy Briefing 66 (v1) describes the clear benefits which agroforestry systems have for biodiversity and the protection of ecosystems. But how can these be demonstrated in carbon farming projects, without a monitoring complexity and timescale which makes the projects uneconomic? Biodiversity was...
Policy Briefing #62 (v2) points out the significant simplification introduced by the Commission on 26.2.25.
This simplification should ...
Version 2 of this document adds the section below (Section 8) which responds to the Commission´s "Vision Agriculture and Food" (Read more... 866 1020Hot Topic! 💯💯💯💯💯
Policy Briefing #18 (v4) focuses on the Nature Restoration Regulation draft Implementing Regulation and its Read more... 496 605Hot Topic! 💯💯💯💯💯
EURAF Policy Briefing #28 v3 responds to the Commission's latest report on the Sustainable Finance Initiative (aka the Tax...
EURAF Policy Briefing 34 (v1) is part of a series summarising policy incentives and disincentives for agroforestry in EU Member States. It gives the definition of agroforestry in Finland and the possible role of ecoschemes, investment measures and agri-environment climate measures in its su...
Policy Briefing #1 (v4) slightly updates the EURAF Agroforestry Typology. EURAF recommends that the eight agroforestry practices used on agricultural land should be identified as land uses in the Land Parcel Identification Systems (LPIS) systems of Member States: 1) wood-pasture, 2) alley-c...
Policy Briefing #15 (v5) welcomes the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), noting that it excludes current areas of agriculture and agroforestry. However the EUDR Guidelines place too much faith in the ability of satellite data to distinguish forests from agriculture. We therefore stress the...
Policy Briefing #69 (v1) was produced as an input to a discussion paper from DGAGRI on “Governance and Performance of the CAP”, circulated to the CAP Civil Dialogue Group technical meeting...
Policy Briefing #20 (v3) responds to the provisionally approved text of the Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF). Delegated and Implem...
Policy Briefing #17 (v4) considers the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance and coherence of the 2023 LULUCF Regulation and concludes: a) that emissions reporting and targets should be integrated across the land sector in an "Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use" metric - as has been recommen...
Informe político #44 presenta un análisis de la formulación de los sistemas agroforestales (SAF) en el Plan Estratégico de la PAC español 2023-27 (PEPAC), y su consideración en otros planes y normas nacionales y autonómicas relacionadas. El PEPAC e...
Policy Briefing #44 (v1) summarises the inclusion of agroforestry in the Spanish CAP Strategic Plan 2023-27 (CSP), and other related national and regional plans and regulations.
- A maximum of 100 trees/ha is allowed for agroforestry to remain classified as “arable land” or...
Policy Briefing #8 (v4) reflects the revised text of the EU Regulation for a Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF). It a) summarises current estimates of the carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry in Europe, b) provides a timeline and references for studies of carbon farming in t...
Policy Briefing #29 (v1) focuses on the flexibility allowed to Member States to define permanent grassland to “include other species such as trees and/or shrubs which produce animal feed”. This option has not been selected by 15 administrations (AT, BE-F, CZ, DK, EE, HU, HR, LT,...
Policy Briefing #30 (v1) suggests that the Forest Reproductive Material Regulation should mention agroforestry, and the particular need for high-quality planting stock when trees are planted at wide-spacings, with less opportunity for self-thinning and improvement-thinning. We suggest that:...
Policy Briefing #27 (v2) notes Agroforestry is mentioned in the Adaptation Strategy or Adaptation Plan of ONLY 11 Member States. This is despite extensive scientific literature on using agroforestry systems to help adapt agriculture and forestry to climate change. There is also a FAO guide ...
Policy Briefing #26 is a contribution to the DG CLIMA consultation on 2040 climate targets. It suggests that, if the EU's target of 3 billion additional ...
The Sixth European Agroforestry Conference took place in Nuoro Sardinia from 16-20th May 2022. This briefing offers easy access to the conference abstracts. These have been collated into 4 TOPICS and 13 SUBTOPICS. Many of the abstracts are ...
Policy Briefing #25 (v1) is provided as an input to the FAO review of monitoring and reporting methods for Trees Outside Forests to be used in 2030 Forest Resource Assessment (with the review scheduled for completion in 2025). EURAF recommends greater coordination with the UNFCCC forest def...
Policy Briefing #19 summarises changes in the Agricultural Block Exemption Rules (ABER) for State Aid to agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture relevant to agroforetsry. Changes were published on 14.12.22 as Commission Regul...
Policy Briefing #21 collates the Landscape Features selected by Member States in their Strategic Plans for 2023-2027, and their dimensions. All MS except FI and SE implement at least one of the options for hedges, trees in groups, trees in line, isolated trees and Forest margins, but the ru...