The Common Agricultural Policy: Purpose, Evolution and Future Projections

This chapter examines the purpose of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), exploring the diverse agricultural structures of EU Member States and the reasons underlying its inception. It lists the numerous reforms of the CAP, alongside its diagnostic assessments. A further examination unveils the connections between the CAP and the European Union’s relationships with its trading partners, international trade negotiations and the Action Programme 2000. The chapter concludes by discussing the Common Agricultural Policy for the 2021–2027 period.