The Common Agricultural Policy post-2020: A new Green Architecture, Novel Eco-schemes and biodiversity indicators. How can iDiv help making it work?

Despite significant efforts and investments, the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) hasn’t been successful in halting the loss of farmland biodiversity. To address this weakness, the CAP post-2020 proposes a new “Green Architecture” comprising of compulsory elements (“expanded conditionality”), Agri-Environment-Climate Measures and a new, voluntary-based instrument called “Eco-schemes”. Will this new Green Architecture, combined with a result-based approach (which entails higher flexibility for Member States in terms of implementation), help address the biodiversity crisis?

The next CAP is still under negotiations, with various issues remaining open about its final design and potential implementation. Accordingly, on request from DG Agriculture and EC Vice-President office, we are invited to explore how scientists could help addressing some outstanding questions regarding the CAP’s Green Architecture, focusing particularly on biodiversity. We ask:
1. How can the different Green-Architecture elements optimally complement each other?
2. What can be the role(s) of Eco-schemes in the Green Architecture, and accordingly, how could they best be designed and implemented? (possibly with examples of what works and why).
3. How can the EU and MSs set S.M.A.R.T targets, and what guidelines could be given to Member States, or to Federal States in Germany?
4. What landscape- and biodiversity indicators could be used to strengthen the indicator-system of the CAP, i.e. are most feasible to monitor, analyse and report across Member States?

The questions, answers and recommendations arising in this workshop will open a series of follow-up workshops among CAP
experts, first in Germany and then in other Member States.