Genesis and development of the Common agricultural policy of the European Union

Zajednička poljoprivredna politika (ZPP) jedna je od najvažnijih politika kojima upravlja Europska unija. Njezin značaj temelji se na činjenici da je poljoprivreda sama po sebi od iznimnog značaja za sve stanovnike jer bez nje nema ni osnovnih prehrambenih namirnica. ZPP obuhvaća skup mjera i programe koji su posvećeni subvencioniranju poljoprivrednih aktivnosti na području Europske unije. Navedenom se politikom žele osigurati racionalne i optimalne cijene poljoprivrednih proizvoda, kao i njihova prihvatljiva kvaliteta. Primjena ZPP-a počela je sredinom 20.stoljeća i, uz nekoliko reformi, traje i dalje. Ulaskom Republike Hrvatske u Europsku uniju, ZPP postaje relevantna i za hrvatske poljoprivrednike. Temeljni je cilj ovog rada istražiti proučiti razloge, okolnosti i uvjete nastanka Zajedničke poljoprivredne politike Europske unije te utjecaj i posljedice iste na poljoprivrednu djelatnost u Republici Hrvatskoj. Osim toga, bit će objašnjena razlika između početnih i aktualnih ciljeva te mehanizmi i programi kojima se navedeni ciljevi nastoje ostvariti. ZPP je politički sektor u koji Europska unija ulaže najviše sredstava.Common agricultural policy (CAP) is one of the most important politics implemented and managed by the European Union. Its importance is based on the fact that agriculture itself is of the utmost importance for all people because without it there is no basic nutritional foodstuff. CAP includes set of measures and programs dedicated to subsidizing agricultural activities in the European Union. These policies aim to ensure the rational and optimal prices of agricultural products as well as their acceptable quality. The application of CAP began in the mid-20th century and, with several reforms, lasts to this very day. By entering the Republic of Croatia into the European Union, CAP becomes relevant also for Croatian farmers. The main purpose of this paper is to explore and study the reasons, circumstances and conditions for the creation of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, as well as its impact and consequences on agricultural activity in the Republic of Croatia. In addition to that, there will be explained the difference between initial and current goals and the mechanisms and programs created for achieving the stated goals. CAP is a political sector in which the European Union invests the most financial resources