The Impact of Central and Eastern Europe on the Common Agricultural Policy

The article examines the impact of the new European Union member states from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during the period 2004-2013. This article specifically addresses the agricultural policy preferences of the newcomers, emerging coalitions and voting behaviours in the Council of Agricultural Ministers on CAP issues. The analysis shows that the CEE Member States have not been speaking with one voice on specific CAP issues. However, they have become a united and determined group in the quest for more even direct payments under the CAP. This has led to the first redistributive reform in the history of the CAP. Therefore, the preferences of the new members for aligning levels of direct Union-wide aid combined with broader budgetary constraints have provided an additional lever in the CAP reform process. However, at the same time, the CEE member states lack a broader long term vision of the CAP, a fact that reduces their impact on the CAP reform agenda.