The UK Presidency of the EU must oversee progress on the Agenda 2000 proposals to reform the common agricultural policy (CAP). The proposed reforms are limited and will not include the substantial trade liberalisation called for by critics of the CAP. This must wait for the next round of WTO negotiations.
As the reforms stand, their net impact will be unfavourable for developing countries, though not seriously so. Likely negative effects could be counteracted fairly easily. But development advocates will need to lobby hard for such measures. Without them, the Agenda 2000 reforms would be a backward step for development.
