cap reforms of the 1990s and agenda 2000：cap 90年代的改革议程2000.pdf

Cha 1 CAP Reforms of the 1990s and Agenda 2000 G Y 3 0 0 E S S A Y T H R E E B L O C K T W O : E U R O P E A N I N T E G R A T I O N R E G I O N A L D I S P A R I T I E S Eugene Clifton Cha Essay Three 10 February 2003 GY300 / Gibbons Cha 2 D I S C U S S T H E F A C T O R S M O T I V A T I N G T H E C A P R E F O R M S O F T H E 1 9 9 0 S A N D A G E N D A 2 0 0 0 . H O W W O U L D Y O U E X P E C T T H E S E R E F O R M S T O I M P A C T R E G I O N A L I N C O M E D I S P A R I T I E S I N T H E E U ? The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union (EU) was established in the 1957 Treaty of Rome with the understanding that it was necessary to subject agriculture to equal treatment among all member states of the European Community (EC). At the time, a significant percentage of the labour force—25%—was dependent on agriculture for its income, and various agricultural support policies existed throughout Western Europe to assist these individuals. The CAP aimed to consolidate these myriad policies into one comprehensive system, fostering agricultural productivity and encouraging self-sufficiency. Since its inception, the CAP has seen successes, failures, and demands for continued reform—most notably in recent years.