"Agenda-setting and greening of the CAP"

Just, Fleming. (1997) "Agenda-setting and greening of the CAP". In European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 1997 (5th), May 29-June 1, 1997, pages 17, Seattle, WA.

Abstract

The paper is a pre-study to a broader project on agenda-setting and policy-making as regards agri-environment in EU and five member states. The main hypotheses are that: 1) traditional agricultural agenda setting and policy-making takes place in a rather closed segment characterised by a fixed institutional set-up both in member states and at EU level, despite the many differences otherwise between national and EU policy-making; 2) that environmental agenda setting and policy-making is characterised by a much weaker segmentation and firm institutional set-up and that this will vary depending upon which environmental issue is on the agenda. It is claimed that this is the situation both in member states and at EU level; 3) that agri-environmental questions--together with other new issues like animal welfare and health--will contribute to erode the traditionally strong agricultural policy segment. Both in member states and at EU-level, agri-environmental issues are usually decided upon in the ministries of agriculture and at DG VI (agriculture) respectively. The new issues are in many cases put forward with so much vigour by environmentalists, experts--and some member states in the case of EU--that the old segments have been forced to open for new agendas, new lobby groups and new institutions if the ministries and DG VI want to keep the new issues within their authority. The paper leaves it as an open question if the policy network model will be the most appropriate theoretical point of departure when looking at the EU level. As long as the agri-environmental question is relatively new, it seems that the ‘garbage can model’ best captures the vivid reality.