The Common Agricultural Policy

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has often been described as the cornerstone of the European Community. From the outset it was clear that agriculture would play a fundamental role, both because of its intrinsic importance to the economies of the Six, and as part of the basic Franco-German compromise on which the European Community was based. In 1958 agriculture accounted for 20 per cent of the jobs of the Community and some 10 per cent of its output. But, while the six member states agreed on the necessity of including agriculture in the common market, they were not prepared to accept the consequences of a completely free market which excluded governmental intervention, even if on a coordinated basis. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.