The CAP: the most cost-effective EU policy for Finance ministers

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Read our new policy briefing on budgetary aspects of the EC’s three main policies here.

In many Member States, Finance and Agriculture Ministers do not necessarily share the same political or strategic approaches to the CAP and how it might evolve. Agriculture ministers are more sensitive to the fact that by investing in agriculture the European Union is not only investing to meet its economic and local development needs, but is also creating public goods that are essential to society as a whole.

Whilst Agriculture Ministers focus their efforts on putting in place policy tools that are as finely tuned as possible to their country’s specific needs, Finance Ministers have been working to preserve national drawdown and transfer spending responsibilities from national budgets to the Community budget – with the need for budgetary discipline at the front of their minds throughout their deliberations.