Instruments that promote Co-operative Agreements

Abstract

The occurrence of co-operative agreements (CAs) across the EU is presented in Chapter 3, which shows that such agreements are very rare or non-existent in most Member States. A number of hypothetical case studies have been carried out in these countries, which show that CAs could be a viable approach to control agricultural-related pollution problems. The following analysis focuses mainly on the questions why CAs are rare or non existing in these countries and offers some guidance to overcome the obstacles to the establishment of CAs where they could make a significant contribution to control agriculture-related diffuse pollution of water. The positive experiences gained particularly in France, Germany and the Netherlands can be used to provide advice on what should be done to promote the voluntary approach in countries where they are not applied. This analysis could also promote a more widespread application of CAs in those countries where CAs occur.