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European Union
European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development
Strategma Agency
and
Magardich HULIAN
Agriculture and rural development expert at the European institute foundation
present
CAP for youths
Common Agricultural Policy – Part 2
The Common Agricultural Policy is presently facing great challenges.
The issue of reducing EU funding of the CAP has been burning ever since the 2003 reforms.
Europe is divided into two in this respect.
On one hand, there are the member states with a well-developed agriculture and pronounced agricultural character,
which insist on preserving the present EU budget levels.
On the other hand, there are the so-called industrial states, whose agriculture is underdeveloped.
They insist on reduction of agricultural expenses and transfer of resources to other economic and social sectors,
for the purpose of increasing the respective EU competitiveness in global terms.
In 2003 the Common Agricultural Policy was provided with a new platform.
It was divided into two “Pillars” and two separate respective funds were established.
They include the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund,
which supports and stimulates farmers to produce particular amounts of agricultural products
and the Agricultural Fund for Rural Development,
which supports not just farmers, but the general population of the rural regions.
If the budget allocated to agriculture and rural development used to amount to 66%
of the general EU (then EEA) budget in the 1980’s, today this percentage is close to 45.
This is an indication of the serious trend towards reducing the general expenses
of the European Union in the provision of support for this policy.
This certainly does not imply that the policy is losing its importance and that the resources for it…
the fact is absolute values remain unchanged.
Moreover, due to the development of this policy and the increase of its competitiveness compared to the past,
it so happens that agricultural producers don’t sense the reduction in the general support provided by the EU.
On the contrary, they become more competitive on the common and the world market themselves,
thus fulfilling one of the common goals of turning European agriculture into a competitive, modern,
technologically advanced type of agriculture, meeting all contemporary requirements.
Common problems require common solutions, but they are very hard to achieve.
In upholding their individual positions and interests, member states are trying to meet the various attitudes and goals of society.
In November 2010 the negotiations for the new programming period are expected to begin/ began
and there are active debates at present on the what and how of this policy in terms of the requirements of Europe and its citizens for the next period.
All proposals to the European Commission and the European Parliament will be subject to a serious and detailed public survey,
a survey of EU citizens’ opinion on the desired specifics of this policy from 2014 to 2020.
The Common Agricultural Policy of the EU has fulfilled its main purpose to provide the population with sufficient food supplies, a survey of EU citizens’ opinion on the desired specifics of this policy from 2014 to 2020.
The Common Agricultural Policy of the EU has fulfilled its main purpose to provide the population with sufficient food supplies,
but it continues to serve the major goals and principles related to turning the European model of agriculture into a stable pillar of
the Common European Policy, ensuring the equal rights of all European citizens.