At the end of this module you will be able to:

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has proven its importance in shaping a multifunctional agriculture that meets the needs of society, contributing to the protection of the environment and natural resources, the fight against climate change and rural development, while allowing producers to obtain sufficient income from their activities. Agricultural products must be made in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. In order to achieve this objective, we need to continue our efforts to promote and model a competitive agricultural sector resilient to crises and risks of a different nature. The role of this policy in protecting human, animal and plant health and protecting the environment must be noted.  The CAP is financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

The aim is to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic and make European economies and societies more sustainable, resilient, and better prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the green and digital transitions.

The Facility is a temporary recovery instrument. It allows the Commission to raise funds to help Member States implement reforms and investments that are in line with the EU's priorities and that address the challenges identified in country-specific recommendations under the European Semester framework of economic and social policy coordination. It makes available €723.8 billion (in current prices) in loans (€385.8 billion) and grants (€338 billion) for that purpose.

The Facility is structured around six pillars: green transition; digital transformation; economic cohesion, productivity and competitiveness; social and territorial cohesion; health, economic, social and institutional resilience; policies for the next generation.

Each Member State develops an individual Recovery and Sustainability Plan that responds to the specifics of the state and the recommendations received by the EU in the course of its development. The idea is to weave and develop the agricultural sector into the objectives set, and in addition to the overall objectives, the Recovery and Sustainability Plans will have to reflect the relevant country-specific challenges and be aligned with EU priorities. Each of the plans developed can be found in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans section.

Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring:

•  no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050

•  economic growth decoupled from resource use

•  no person and no place left behind

The European Green Deal is also our lifeline out of the COVID-19 pandemic. One third of the 1.8 trillion euro investments from the Next Generation EU Recovery Plan, and the EU's seven-year budget will finance the European Green Deal.

The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal  aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly.

The Farm to Fork Strategy aims to accelerate our transition to a sustainable food system that should:

•  have a neutral or positive environmental impact

•  help to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts

•  reverse the loss of biodiversity

•  ensure food security, nutrition and public health, making sure that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, sustainable food

•  preserve affordability of food while generating fairer economic returns, fostering competitiveness of the EU supply sector and promoting fair trade

By producing high quality food with low environmental impact, organic farming will play an essential role in developing a sustainable food system for the EU.

A sustainable food system is at the heart of the European Green Deal. Under the Green Deal's  Farm to Fork  strategy, the European Commission has set a target of 'at least 25% of the EU's agricultural land under organic farming and a significant increase in organic aquaculture by 2030'.

To achieve this target and to help the organics sector reach its full potential, the Commission is putting forward an action plan for organic production in the EU.

Axis 1: stimulate demand and ensure consumer trust

Axis 2: stimulating conversion and reinforcing the entire value chain

Axis 3: organics leading by example: improving the contribution of organic farming to sustainability

The EU's biodiversity strategy for 2030 is a comprehensive, ambitious and long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. The strategy aims to put Europe's biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030, and contains specific actions and commitments.

The biodiversity strategy aims to put Europe's biodiversity on the path to recovery by 2030 for the benefit of people, climate and the planet.

In the post-COVID-19 context, the strategy aims to build our societies' resilience to future threats such as

1.  the impacts of climate change

2.  forest fires

3.  food insecurity

4.  disease outbreaks - including by protecting wildlife and fighting illegal wildlife trade

The strategy contains specific commitments and actions to be implemented by 2030.

Establishing a larger EU-wide network of protected areas on land and at sea

The EU will enlarge existing Natura 2000 areas, with strict protection for areas of very high biodiversity and climate value.

Launching an EU nature restoration plan

Introducing measures to enable the necessary transformative change to

•  ensure better implementation and track progress

•  improve knowledge, financing and investments

•  better respecting nature in public and business decision-making