Executive Summary
This report focuses on ‘The EU’s Policies on Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment’. The European Union has been conducting a series of treaties and adopting common policies over the years. In 1962, the European Union has launched The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). As one of the oldest policies, it consists of the biggest portion in the EU budget, figures have shown a decrease from beginning of 70% to 40% until now (Key graphs and figures, 2016). The CAP plays an in important role in European Union agriculture. The main goals are ensuring the standard of living of famers and agricultural workers while offering sustainable and safely produced quality food with affordable prices for consumers.
The content of this report, focuses on the background behind the common agricultural policy. The neo-functionalism theory supports the member countries in accepting the policies mentioned.
Secondly, this report provides two concrete Common Agricultural Policies concerning the well-being of citizens in terms of the agricultural product quality environment conditions. The EU agricultural product quality policy is implemented to protect and promote the quality of regional products, and the second policy works on climate change by providing farmers with financial income support.
This topic is focused around the political area, which includes a series of laws or regulations. The report concluded with an in-depth analysis of all the findings and policies mentioned above. Quantitative desk research has been conducting to finalize this report.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 2
Neo-functionalism: European Integration of the Common Agriculture Policy 4
EU agricultural product quality policy 5
Agriculture and climate change 6
Analysis/Conclusion 8
Bibliography 10
Neo-functionalism: European Integration of the Common Agriculture Policy
The Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It was first introduced in 1962 and has been reformed many times since then. It all started with the Treaty of Rome that was signed in 1957, to create the European Economic Union (ECC), which lead to establishing the Common Market. The general objectives of CAP where then first defined. Two years later, in 1958, the principles of the CAP were set out at the Stresa Conference. Finally, the common agricultural policy was proposed in 1960 by the European Commission and put into effect in 1962. This makes the CAP one of the oldest policies of the European Union and is an important part of the European integration (European Commission, 2016).
As seen in the research, there are diverse theories of the European integration, federalism/intergovernmentalism, Neo-functionalism and (liberal) intergovernmentalism. Neo-functionalism is developed and introduced by Ernst Haas to explain the fact that member states are not the only actors in the European integration project. According to neo-functionalism, for the European integration to be successful, member states needs to cooperate in different areas. Neo-functionalism is the economic and social integration slowly evolving into the political integration. In case of the Neo-functionalism, supranational institutions, political parties, and interest groups have a great effect in the integration process.
The after effects of World War II were not favourable to agriculture. The agriculture was damaged and destroyed completely, which results in shortage of food. The member states were eager for the European integration on the field of CAP. This explains why the Common Agriculture Policy was first initiated. It was to build up agriculture again and feed the population after the damages of World War II. For that to be realized the member states needed to cooperate. The member states did not only share one common goal, which is to protect and secure the European market, which lead into working together, but also for economic benefits. This results in a stable economy. They are also collaborating with common good, which are effects of the Single Market. Food security was not a problem anymore (Civitas, 2016).
Germany and France had a compromise, because the Germany had a strong economy and great agriculture system, whereas France was falling behind. This compromise was the start of the Common Agriculture Policy, which is like most decisions regarding European integration. The compromise was a flexible trade of single and common interests, allowing the German industries to access the French market, and where German taxpayers would to subsidies for French farmers (Stratford, 2016). The functional spillover of the Common Agriculture Policy is the practical reason. The economic spillover was to protect the economic advantages and establishing the Common Agriculture Policy. Secondly, the political spillover is used to explain the importance of supranational and subnational actors in the integration process, as they create further pressure for more integration to pursue their interests. With the political spillover, the supernatural actor, the European Union, had economic advantages (Civitas, 2016).
Finally, The Common Agriculture Policy is to protect the farmers from the products and imports outside the European Union. The EU’s common agriculture policy is interesting because it is one of the main expenditure of the EU budget is for agriculture. Also, this policy main goal is the well-being of EU citizens and providing food security and a good environment. The CAP is a great example of the European integration as the member states have agreed to share resources and create a single European policy (European Commission, 2016).
EU agricultural product quality policy
The EU agricultural product quality policy concerns of the products quality and diversity produced to consumers in European union. It is a result as an improvement based on quality package launched by European commission in 2010, the main goal of quality package is to ensure quality to consumers and fair prices for farmers on food and agricultural products.
Looking into this policy, the quality schemes contain several benefits towards both producers and consumers. Firstly, in the context of this policy, in order to protect and promote traditional products with geographical traits, the EU created three quality logos use to stress the specific traditions and qualities of food, which is named ‘Protected Designation of Origin’, ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ and ‘Traditional Speciality Guaranteed’. (CAP, 2016): for our food, for our countryside, for our environment，p14）These three logos are used among agricultural products and wines, aromatised wines, and spirit drinks. Therefore, it provides legal protection for producers to produce traditional products from their geographical origin. (European Commission, 2016)
Secondly, by labelling these logos, consumers can identify these traditional quality products, these logos offer legal protection for producers who registered under the schemes in order to go against imitation or misuse or falsification of their product name in the European Union and outside markets. Therefore, it also helps to ensure that consumer would gained genuine quality of the goods, and could have a choice of access to safe, high quality and genuine goods from regional origin or traditional production.
However, the policy could be hidden certain problems that maybe will reveal in the coming future. Firstly, by conducting the agricultural product quality policy protected certain kinds of goods under the requirements, the other products which do not meet the condition of the quality scheme, could face unfair treatment into the market, maybe due to they do not have an outstanding origin product area. In the end, the product without one of the three quality logos are less competitive and would suffers from fierce competition in the European Union market. Secondly, the being protected products has been secured which they are less motivated to innovate and improve their products or services. Overall, the quality schemes contain mostly benefit to the European Union society for citizen and business by supporting traditional agricultural goods (Cop21, 2016)
Agriculture and climate change
The environment is a topic that concerns of all citizens. Farming is an important element related to the EU’s natural environment, due to around half of the European Union authority’ land is farmed. Farming brings both positive and negative effects on environment, generally, Farming build a diverse environment, which guards the biodiversity of the nature and countryside. However, if agricultural farm activities have been used inappropriately, the environment and natural resources could suffer adverse impact.
Under the circumstance, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has pointed three prominent points to protect and preserve the EU’s rural and countryside. Firstly, it is about protect biodiversity and development of forestry systems, and traditional agricultural landscapes. Second one is water management and use. The last one is dealing with climate change. (Agriculture and Environment, 2016)
In terms of climate change, climate change influences agriculture, due to the fact that farming activities are strongly linked to climatic conditions, however, climate change can be effected by agriculture activities adversely. Generally, the old CAP supporters claim agriculture is mostly has positive impact on climate change. Nevertheless, in fact, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change reports that agriculture is accounted for 10% of the EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2007. (Reform the cap, 2015)
Therefore, the Common Agricultural Policy offer farmers with financial support in order to assist them to adjust their farming methods to be more climate-friendly to reduce the negative effects on the changing of climate, such as use of cover crops, adjustment of fertilizer application to crop needs, and utilization of biogas as a resource. (reform the cap climate, Climate-friendly agriculture). After the 2013 reform of CAP, the policy implemented by the European Union to offer income support payment for farmers as the condition that they make efforts for environmentally-sustainable farming methods, to be more specifically is famers need to maintain permanent grassland areas which help to fight climate change (grass is good at absorbing carbon dioxide) and to encourage them to be more environmentally friendly and ensure citizens and farmers sustainable use of land, and protect environment.
However, according to the report, the current CAP investment is not enough in terms of promoting sustainable farming. The budget of Subsidies for climate-friendly farming could be increased.
Lastly, climate action is an important factor concerning of citizens living conditions. The EU has made achievement by declined 24% greenhouse gas since 1990, and its continuing investing in climate smart agriculture. (cop21, 2016)
Analysis/Conclusion
The EU’s common Agricultural Policy has many interesting aspects. The main expenditure of the EU budget goes to agriculture. Agriculture focuses on the well-being of EU citizens, and focuses on the security and quality of food and the environment. Member States have agreed to pool all resources and operate a single European policy, where Common Agriculture Policy serves as an example.
As shown in the results, the establishing of the Common Agriculture Policy as we now today, has come through a long way. Looking back, CAP has had many reforms, due to economic, social, and political influences.
As mentioned in the results, there are diverse theories of the European integration. According to the neo-functionalism theory, after the World War II, there was allot of food shortage, due to the fact that the agriculture was destroyed. This lead for the member states to come together and agree to work together to solve the food security problem. This was then the main goal, to maintain food security. As a member state, protecting the European Market was priority. As seen in this report, it also shows how the EU targets the well-being of citizens and is explained through the strengths and weaknesses of each policy and all the stakeholders involved.
The theory of neo-functionalism has shown the process of the European integration of the agriculture, how an economic and social integration slowly evolves into the political integration. Looking back, in case of the Neo-functionalism, supranational institutions, political parties, and interest groups have a great effect in the integration process.
In 1962, the European Union has launched The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). As one of the oldest policies, it consists of the biggest portion in the EU budget, figures have shown a decrease from beginning of 70% to 40% until now (Key graphs and figures, 2016). The CAP plays an in important role in European Union agriculture. The main goals are ensuring the standard of living of famers and agricultural workers while offering sustainable and safely produced quality food with affordable prices for consumers.
EU has stress to agricultural quality since it has been made, 2010 quality package adopted to the EU created 3 quality logos in order to protect and highlight the traditions and qualities of food with geographical origins, which is named ‘Protected Designation of Origin’, ‘Protected Geographical Indication’ and ‘Traditional Speciality Guaranteed’. The European Union agricultural product quality policy has benefits towards both producer and consumers in terms of ensure the quality and genuinely of the product they produce and gained. The Common Agricultural policy has started focus the principle of sustainable development since 1992 Rio in Earth Summit launches, and till 2000 included in concerning of the rural area. In order to improve the farming effect to the environment, The Common Agricultural policy offer direct financial income support payment for farmers and landowners, so they can behaviour in to be respect of the environment to make efforts for environmentally-sustainable farming activities.
Bibliography
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