The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP): Ensuring the EU’s development and agricultural policies evolve together

2014 has been a momentous year for the common agricultural policy (CAP) and for agricultural trade relations with our partner countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states. We have seen the beginning of the implementation of the CAP reform and successfully concluded economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with many ACP countries. 2015 promises to be another crucial year for agricultural and development policy. The CAP and agricultural trade policy will continue to align closely with development policy and ensure that market access to the EU can be a motor for agricultural investment and growth in developing countries. In addition, the global community intends to finalise the new sustainable development goals, and their means of implementation, that will guide policy decisions after 2015. We can expect agriculture, food and nutrition security to be at the heart of this exercise. 2015 is the European Year for Development and also the year in which the EU will feature at the Milan Expo on the theme of ‘Feeding the planet, energy for life’