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3.7.
DIRECTIONOFCHANGESINTHECOMMONAGRICULTURALPOLICYOFTHEEUROPEANUNION
organizationandfinances.Nevertheless,ithasretaineditsinitialessence,objectivesand
principles.
Article39oftheTreatyofRomedefinestheobjectivesofthecommonagricultural
policyasfollows:
toincreaseagriculturalproductivitybypromotingtechnicalprogressandby
ensuringtherationaldevelopmentofagriculturalproductionandtheoptimum
utilizationofthefactorsofproduction;
toensureafairstandardoflivingfortheagriculturalcommunity,inparticular
byincreasingtheindividualearningsofpersonsengagedinagriculture;
tostabilizemarkets;
toassuretheavailabilityofsupplies;
toensurethatsuppliesreachconsumersatreasonableprices.
Theseobjectivesaretreatedasequalinpriority,despitesomebeinginconflictwith
othersorthattheycanbeconsideredhierarchically.Theobjectivesenumeratedabove
arestillinforcetoday,eveniftheirfocusandtheutilizedinstrumentshaveshiftedalit-
tle.Thesecondparagraphoftheabove-mentionedarticlestatesthattheCAPshould
acknowledgethespecificityofagriculture’ssocialstructure,thestructuralandnatural
differencesbetweenregionsandagriculture’stiestotheeconomyatlarge.Thesome-
whatimpreciseandeveninternallyconflictingphrasingoftheseobjectiveshascaused
manydoubtswhenrealizingandimplementingthem,andprovidedmanywaysof
interpretation.Perhapsthisiswhyduringmanyreformsofthispolicy,thepolicymakers
focusedontheinstrumentsratherthantheobjectives.
Theimplementationofthecommonagriculturalpolicyisbasedonthreeprinciples:
uniformityofthemarketmeaningthattheagriculturalmarketsinallmember
statesareworkingonthebasisofcertaincommonprinciplesconcerningorgani-
zation,freedomandavailabletypesofintervention;
communitypreferencesmeaninggivingsalesprioritytoproductsproducedin
memberstatesoftheEuropeanUnion;
financialsolidaritymeaningsharingofpolicyimplementationandagricultural
supportcostsbyallmemberstates.
Inaddition,wantingtomaintainabalancedratioofagriculturaltonon-agricultural
incomesbecameanunwrittenrule,asdidthedrivetoimplementtheintegrationprin-
cipleofconvergenceinthedevelopmentoftheagriculturalsectorofmemberstates.
3.7.Directionofchangesinthecommonagriculturalpolicyofthe
EuropeanUnion
Thecommonagriculturalpolicy(CAP)isoneoftheoldestandmostimportantsector
policiesoftheEuropeanUnion.Itrestsontwopillars.Thefirstpillarisfinancedby
theEuropeanAgriculturalGuaranteeFund(EAGF).Thesecondpillaristakingfunds
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