The Common Agricultural Policy after 2013
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - historically the first from among socio-economic policies has been subjected to the constant evolution over the past three decades. Changing internal and external conditions in the EU required consecutive adjustments of acquis-communitaire in this field. The most important of them include the MacSharry reform of 1992, agreed in 1999 - Agenda 2000 and conducted in 2003 (soon before Poland’s accession to the EU) Luxemburg reform which apart from provisions referring to the shape of CAP until 2013 also obliged the Community to conduct the assessment of it’s policy (Health-Check) in 2007-2008.
Ever since accessing the European Union, Poland has been co-deciding about changes in CAP, which is reflected by it’s participation in consecutive modifications to this policy (reforms on particular rural markets: sugar in 2006, fruit along with vegetables and wine in 2007, Health-Check in 2007-2008). It is already known that further changes that will affect the shape of the CAP after 2013 are inevitable. It was exposed by the finished in November 2008 – Common Agricultural Policy Review (Health-Check) which indicated the necessity of making further adjustments to adapt this policy to the new long-term challenges.
An Important stage of the works on Polish proposal regarding common rules and guidelines for the future Common Agricultural Policy is: The Polish Government Stance on the Future of Common Agricultural Policy after 2013. The draft of this stance was the subject of inter-Ministerial agreement then accepted by the European Committee of the Council of Ministers on 26 May 2009 and later approved by the Council of Ministers on 12 June 2009 as well.
The public debate on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2010 will lay foundations of projected for 2011-2012 legislative process which will work out and approve the legal framework for the future CAP.
The release of the European Comission’s statement on the future of the CAP after 2013 might take place in the autumn 2010. It is expected that the document will also include scenarios of possible changes that will be subsequently discussed at the EU forum. In the middle of 2011 presentation of official legislative drafts on the future of CAP is to be expected from the European Commission. The act of releasing these documents will coincide with the take over of the EU Council presidency by Poland (2nd half of 2011).
More on the advancement of works on the future of CAP after 2013 here
