This paper addresses how environmen

This paper addresses how environmental indicators and multicriteria methodologies
can support evaluation of the environmental performance of EU agri-environment
schemes (AESs). Prominent evaluation issues and problems concerning AES are discussed,
with a focus on availability of information. With these issues considered, a multicriteria
methodology was devised and applied to estimate the environmental effectiveness
of an AES in each of two study areas: Ireland and Emilia-Romagna (Italy). The
evaluation is based on information from the mid-term evaluation of the Rural Development
Programmes. The results suggest that the AESs only partially achieved their objectives.
This interpretation is tentative, largely due to the scarcity of quantitative data
that related to effectiveness, the lack of quantitative target levels for objectives, and difficulties
in determining the relative importance of different environmental objectives