CAP regimes and the European countryside: Prospects for integration between agricultural, regional and environmental policies

Book abstract:

This book is partly based on edited and revised versions of papers presented at a workshop on CAP and Environment in the EU, held in The Netherlands in February 1998. Revisions were made in light of the reforms in 1999 of the CAP with the adoption of Agenda 2000. In addition, the editors have identified a series of additional issues of importance and identified key experts.

The objectives of this book are to review assessments made on the environmental effects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and to judge the contribution of agricultural policy to environmental quality in the European Union. It focuses on the role of agricultural policy in reducing harmful effects and creating benefits to the physical environment, landscape and nature. Emphasis is given to comparative studies, rather than limiting case studies to one country. The prospects for integration between agricultural, regional and environmental policies are also examined. A major part of the book considers the commodity regimes of the CAP, for example, the beef regime, the arable crops regime and the olive oil regime.

The contributors are drawn from a wide range of European countries and academic and research institutions and organisations involved in this field. This volume should prove essential reading for those studying and working in the areas of agricultural and environmental economics and policy and rural geography.