New CAP, Old Hat? Some thoughts on the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy 2014-2020

After a brief review of recent attempts to reform the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, the essential elements of the Commission’s proposals for the reshaping of the policy from 2014 are reviewed and their implications considered. Given that this is just the first salvo in the campaign, the author concludes that we can expect a great deal of heated debate and substantial horse-trading before the final settlement is reached