“The Common Agricultural Policy: Past, Present and Future”

Baltas, Nicholas C. (1999) “The Common Agricultural Policy: Past, Present and Future” . In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 1999 (6th), June 2-5, 1999, pages 17, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Abstract

When the EC countries decided to tackle in common the agricultural problem by setting up a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), they embarked on a task of immense economic and social implications. Despite the difficulties which this has caused from the start, many observers agree that on the whole the EC has succeeded in establishing the most comprehensive common policy. The CAP, in a way, still reflects the balance of interests and the compromises reached between the original six Community members, which continue to have vested social and economic interests in their agricultural sectors. The main purpose of this short analysis is to present an overview of the main developments of the CAP and to outline its prospects beyond the turn of the century taking into account the eastward enlargement of the European Union and the negotiations with the World Trade Organization.