Assessment of the implementation of the green architecture of the 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plan in Cyprus

This thematic evaluation provides an early assessment of the environmental and climate dimensions of Cyprus’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) for 2023-2027, based on the first year of implementation, namely the financial year 2024. As full implementation results are not yet available, the analysis focuses primarily on the CSP's design and intervention logic, supported by the currently available monitoring data. The evaluation covers interventions under the CSP’s green architecture, with particular emphasis on those contributing to Specific Objective 5 (sustainable natural resource management and reduced chemical dependency), while also considering links to Specific Objective 4 (climate mitigation and adaptation) and Specific Objective 6 (biodiversity protection).

Achievement is assessed through the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF) indicators relating to greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration, soil erosion, pesticide use and risk, and biodiversity, including the Farmland Bird Index and landscape features. Effectiveness, relevance, and coherence with EU and national environmental goals form the core evaluation criteria. The analysis combines descriptive and quantitative approaches, primarily based on secondary data. Key sources include the Agri Food Data Portal, particularly the PMEF Data Explorer, the 2024 Annual Performance Report and national administrative sources. This was complemented by primary data collection through telephone interviews with key national stakeholders, enabling triangulation and validation of the quantitative evidence. However, given the early stage of implementation, with only a limited number of interventions active at the time of the evaluation, the evidence base remains constrained and mainly reflects the intervention design and expected outputs rather than measurable outcomes.

Preliminary findings suggest that the CSP’s green architecture is moderately effective. Progress in some areas is offset by continued structural pressures and administrative delays. Pesticide-related indicators show a positive trend, with sales declining by 30.3%. By contrast, other environmental pressures from agriculture remain significant: greenhouse gas emissions per hectare remain high, ammonia emissions have not improved, and soil erosion persists. Biodiversity pressures also remain evident, with the Farmland Bird Index indicating continued ecosystem vulnerability.

The evaluation identified organic farming as a notable area of success, with the supported area increasing by 45% and already approaching the 2028 target. In contrast, progress on climate change adaptation (R.12) is substantially slower, with only 37.9% of the 2024 milestone achieved. This shortfall is largely linked to the delayed or non-activation of key interventions, including environmental investments and forestry measures. The report also points to a structural need for stronger spatial targeting, particularly to address localised challenges such as soil erosion, affecting 30.72% of land, and pressure in nitrate-vulnerable zones, which current interventions do not sufficiently target.

Overall, the evaluation highlights the need to strengthen the uptake and better targeting of eco‑schemes and agri‑environment-climate commitments. It recommends improving data quality, refining indicator methodologies and accelerating the deployment of green interventions to ensure progress towards climate, natural resource and biodiversity objectives as implementation advances.