Development of the Finnish agri-environmental policy as a learning process

Abstract:

When Finland joined the EU in 1995, agri-environmental policy changed significantly, in terms of both content and style. As a result of the policy process, substantial changes took place in institutional structures and in policy instruments. The most remarkable change, however, was that co-operation between environmental and agricultural administration began. This co-operation has become ever more important, especially regarding future challenges of implementing the EU Water Framework Directive. This paper examines the development of Finnish agri-environmental policy in the Advocacy Coalition Framework by concentrating on three separate, but interconnected, policy formation processes, namely the Finnish Agri-Environmental Programme, the Nitrates Directive and the recent Water Framework Directive. By concentrating on these policy processes it was possible to analyse the evolution of the policy subsystem over time, to examine the changes in policy belief systems, then to analyse the elements that either enable or prohibit co-operation and finally to assess the role of policy learning in the process.