Why has CAP reform proved so difficult to agree and implement ?

Résumé du document

The CAP was created in the hope of modernizing and controlling the market and sector of agriculture. It was in fact the first policy developed at the European level and it rapidly became a symbol for the European integration. Nevertheless, the desire of reforming was still alive...

Extraits

[...] Co-financing would mean that the individual member states would themselves pay part of the compensation payments now made to farmers by the European Union. That also would lead to the decreasing of the net financial burden of the Germany. The French Agriculture Minister Jean Glavany warned that the concept of co-financing would, in his term, "kill" the CAP and was sharply opposed to this measure. In fact, all the propositions of reform cause these battles and debates and are also often blocked. [...]

[...] Grant The CAP : continuity and change, R. Fennel The Political Economy of European integration, F. Laursen Les agriculteurs français aux urnes, B. Hervieu Articles. “Reforming the C. Daugbjerg, Journal of Common of Market Studies (No 37, Mar 1999) reform : A crisis in the making”, R. Ackrill, Journal of Common Market Studies (No 38, Feb 2000) Common Agricultural Policy : The political obstacles to reform”, B. Gardner, Political Quarterly (1987) “Agricultural Policy Reform in the European Community : A three-level games analysis”, L. [...]

[...] Fourthly farmers play a strong social and environmental role. They constitute a community, a live-style. Fifthly the agriculture is linked with food health and safety. The purpose of the creation of the CAP was to respond to these necessities. Its main objectives were the increasing of the agricultural productivity, the assurance of the standard living of the agricultural community, the availability of the supplies, at reasonable prices for these supplies and the stabilization of the market. There are four pillars whereby these objectives are filled. [...]

[...] Thus the question of the CAP reform is not taboo anymore. Despite of these evolutions the CAP changed only a little. That's why it is important now to describe the various conflicting forces acting upon the CAP for its continued stability or for change. Firstly, the complexity in reforming the CAP can be explained by the fact that it involves both national and international interests. The national interest, or more probably economic interest, is involved because the CAP doesn't benefit to all member states equally. [...]

[...] Originally the CAP was part of the trade-off between France and Germany. In fact the creation of a free open market for agricultural products that would also protect farmers from too much competition counter balanced the foundation of a common market in industrial goods. If the first one benefited to France the second was greatly to Germany's advantage. Furthermore the build up of the CAP during the 50's and 60's was more or less based on a consensus between the member states. [...]