4. NATIONAL POLICIES FOR REDUCING AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION

REPORT TITLE: Inventory of Policies for Control of Water Pollution by Agriculture in the DRB Countries (March 2004)

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

• Defines 'policy-making' including objectives, strategies, instruments and institutional arrangements 
• Overview of the DRB policy context and the impacts of EU accession 
• List of EU legislation with opportunities for reforming policy 
• Extensive country-specific lists for four key instruments used by each country to reduce pollution: regulatory, economic, advisory-informational and project-based 
• Comments on adequacy of existing above instruments including overall effectiveness of the 'policy mix' in each country in reducing pollution 
• Summaries compiling information for four main instruments and for the development and implementation of BAP 
• Overall recommendations and conclusions

REPORT SUMMARY

This report assesses the current policy context for reducing agricultural pollution to water in 11 Danube countries. Four main issues are addressed: current national policy objectives and strategies, current policy instruments and measures, and the effectiveness of the 'policy mix' and of the institutional arrangements for implementing policies and measures. It is based on national policy assessments with information presented in three country groupings: 'EU acceding countries', 'EU candidate countries' and 'other DRB countries'.

It begins with explaining 'policy-making' including objectives, strategies, instruments and institutional arrangements. Four categories of instruments are noted: regulatory (e.g. laws, regulations, acts), economic (e.g. penalties, rewards), advisory and informational (e.g. education, demonstration farms, publications), and project-based (e.g. those promoting best-agricultural practices or BAP).

A description of the dynamic DRB policy context follows emphasizing the changes that EU accession and laws have brought to policy reform. A comprehensive list of related EU legislation is presented along with opportunities for reform related to integrating the EU Water Framework Directive with the CAP, SAPARD, agri-environment measures and cross-compliance.

Results are then presented for each country grouping. This includes extensive country-specific lists for regulatory, economic, advisory-informational and project-based strategies and instruments used by each country to reduce pollution. Comments by national experts are added on the adequacy of the strategies to reduce pollution. Each country grouping chapter ends with assessing the overall effectiveness of the policy mix in each country in reducing pollution, with specific gaps in policy development and implementation added.

Next is a 'Summary of the Current Status of Agricultural Pollution Control Policies in the Central and Lower DRB'. These compile information related to the four main types of instruments assessed above as well as for the development and implementation of BAP. The report ends with a short list of overall recommendations and conclusions.

This report was used to further develop the separate DRP report: 'Recommendations for Policy Reforms and for the Introduction of Best Agricultural Practices in the Central and Lower Danube River Basin countries' (See DRP Info Sheets/DRP Products and Tools/Report 5).

To download this information sheet, click HERE.
To view or download the full report, click HERE.