Agriculture
The common agricultural policy (CAP) dates back to the early days of European integration, when Member States made a commitment to restructuring and increasing food production, which had been damaged as a result of the Second World War. Today, the CAP still has a pivotal role in the European Union, not just because farmland and forests account for more than 90 % of land within the EU, but also because it has become an essential mechanism for facing new challenges in terms of food quality, environmental protection and trade. The 2003 reform was a key moment in the CAP’s development, adapting the policy to meet the new requirements of farmers, consumers and the planet. This approach continues to form the basis of the future development of the common agricultural policy of an enlarged Union present on the world stage.
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General framework
Financing, Rural development, Direct support, Structural operations, Competition, Information and statistics -
Markets for agricultural products
Direct support schemes, Common organisation of agricultural markets (CMO), Sectoral applications, Other products -
Food
Food quality, Organic farming, Genetically-modified organisms -
Environment
Management and conservation of resources, Forest resources and non-food products, Pollution from agriculture -
Agriculture: enlargement
Pre-accession, On-going negotiations, 2004 and 2007 enlargements
See also
- Overviews of European Union: Agriculture.
- Further information: European Commission Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate-General.