April 2023 Report Environment and climate assessment of Germany’s CAP Strategic Plan Institute for European Environmental Policy The Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) is a sustainability think tank. Working with stakeholders across EU institutions, international bodies, academia, civil society and industry, our team of economists, scientists and lawyers produce evidence-based research and policy insight. Our work spans nine research areas and covers both short-term policy issues and long-term strategic studies. As a not-forprofit organisation with over 40 years of experience, we are committed to advancing impact-driven sustainability policy across the EU and the world. For more information about IEEP, visit www.ieep.eu or follow us on Twitter @IEEP_eu and LinkedIn. DISCLAIMER The arguments expressed in this report are solely those of the authors, and do not reflect the opinion of any other party. THE REPORT SHOULD BE CITED AS FOLLOWS Scheid, A. and S. Ittner (2023) ‘Assessment of the German CAP Strategic Plan: environmental and climate contributions’, Policy report, Institute for European Environmental Policy and Ecologic Institute. CORRESPONDING AUTHORS Aaron Scheid (aaron.scheid@ecologic.eu) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We gratefully acknowledge helpful reviews and comments from Sebastian Lakner (University of Rostock), Ana Frelih-Larsen (Ecologic Institute) and Estelle Midler (IEEP). © Photo by Sandor Fehervari on Unsplash This work has been produced with the financial support of the LIFE Programme of the European Union. The paper reflects only the views of its authors and not the donors. IEEP office Rue Joseph II 36-38, 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 (0) 2738 7482 Fax: +32 (0) 2732 4004 CONTENTS Glossary ....................................................................................................................................4 Executive summary ................................................................................................................1 Zusammenfassung .................................................................................................................4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................7 General overview of the CAP Strategic Plan’s priorities: Does the money go to environmental and climate action? ....................................................................................9 Contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation .............................. 15 2.1 GHG emissions reduction .......................................................................................... 15 2.1.1 State of play in Germany and resulting needs ..........................................................15 2.1.2 Planned interventions .........................................................................................................15 2.2 Carbon storage ............................................................................................................ 17 2.2.1 State of play in Germany and resulting needs ..........................................................17 2.2.2 Planned interventions .........................................................................................................18 2.3 Climate change adaptation ....................................................................................... 20 2.3.1 State of play in Germany and resulting needs ..........................................................20 2.3.2 Planned interventions .........................................................................................................20 Contribution to the protection of natural resources ........................................... 22 3.1 Water quality................................................................................................................ 22 3.1.1 State of play in Germany and resulting needs ..........................................................22 3.1.2 Planned interventions .........................................................................................................22 3.2 Soil quality .................................................................................................................... 24 3.2.1 State of play in Germany and resulting needs ..........................................................24 3.2.2 Planned interventions ......................