the same 15 crops that accounted for 85 percent of total harvested area in 1994 continued to account for approximately the same share of total harvested area in 2012

The Joint Nature Conservation Committee put it unequivocally:“The EU plays a crucial role in developing policy and legislation to protect the environment and meet its objective for sustainable development. The EU has specific targets for biodiversity conservation with legislative protection for key habitats and species”.The committee makes two other points:“The EU and global biodiversity targets are partly delivered through a range of legislative measures, which place obligations on Member States to protect biodiversity and the natural environment. The EU and Member States have shared legal competence—shared responsibility—in forming and implementing legislation for the environment”.