“Rural Europe Takes Action – No more business as usual”, the book published by ARC2020 and Form Synergies in June last year, ended with a mysterious unwritten regulation, the Common Agricultural Policy of the future. Only it is not. It is much broader than that. We called it the European Rural and Agricultural (and Food) Policy (ERAP). So, what is it about and why is it important to talk about it now? Let’s dive into it.

This article is divided in two parts. In this first part, we will first assess the why we urgently need a new CAP by looking at how it has performed on its main objectives.

By Mathieu Willard

An underachieving CAP

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is undoubtedly Europe’s flagship legislation. It has been around for 60 years, eats 31% of the total EU budget and no one ever seems to be content with it. But why is that?

The aims of the CAP, as stated on the European Commission (EC) website, are to:

1. Improve agricultural productivity;
2. Ensure decent incomes for farmers;
3. Help tackle climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources;
4. Maintain rural areas, landscapes and keep the rural economy alive.

But how did the CAP perform on these?