EU’S AGRARIAN POLICY ON THE EVE OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM

Agrarna politika Europske unije izrazito je složen problem, kako jučer i danas tako i ukupne gospodarske politike Unije. I koliko god je agrarna politika u početku funkcioniranja Zajednice zauzimala stožerno mjesto i bila jedan od kohezionih činitelja integracije, s vremenom je postala kamenom spoticanja, izvorom sukobljavanja i sporenja unutar Zajednice/Unije. Rješenje problema agrarne politike na pragu trećeg tisućljeća izazov je Uniji na koji ona mora naći zadovoljavajući odgovor. Problemi daljnjeg subvencioniranja poljoprivrede u Uniji, širenje na istok i zahtjevi koje postavlja Svjetska trgovinska organizacija, daleko su od toga da budu relativno lako rješivi. Osim toga, agrarna politika nije više samo gospodarski problem. Ona je ništa manje socijalni, osobito ruralni, ekološki, kulturološki i, dakako, politički problem. Jer, problem poljoprivrede uvijek se i rješavao kao politički problem.EU’s agrarian policy has always been – and remains – a complex issue of the Union’s overall economic policy. Although agrarian policy was at first central for the Union and served as a cohesive and integrating factor, in time it became a bone of contention, a source of conflicts and feuding within the Union. Solving the problem of agrarian policy on the eve of the third millennium is one of the Union’s priorities. The problems of agricultural subsidies in the Union, its eastern expansion and the demands of the WTO, are far from being easy tasks. Besides, agrarian policy is not solely an economic matter, but also a social (particularly rural), ecological, cultural, and political problem. The problem of agriculture has always been considered a political problem and resolved as such