A summary
and expose of the seminar PSCT512: AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL POLICIES IN THE
EUROPEAN UNION

This seminar
consist of three major parts: The treatment of agriculture in the negotiations
process of the establishment of the European Union with particular emphasis on
devising policies that would eventually unify agricultural policy on an EU
scale.

The second
part relates to the application of the Common Agricultural Policy over time
starting with the initial years of the union to the present time aiming to
demonstrate how the evolution of agricultural policies have contributed to the
realization of ‘an agricultural union’ parallel with the evolution of a union
in industry and services. The admission of new members with agricultural
sectors quite different to that of the European Union has made it mandatory
that special considerations should be given to the treatment of the agriculture
of the new incoming members. This has undoubtedly had effects on the
implementation of the union-wide agricultural policy.

Finally, the
seminar looks at a comparison of European Agriculture shaped by the CAP with agriculture
in other developed countries like the United States, Canada and Australia.

The seminar
ends with a global comparison and assessment of the practice of agricultural economic
policy between the EU and the developing world.