The EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) aims to promote agriculture throughout the EU by increasing farmers’ incomes and supporting the provision of public goods such as the environment. It is funded from the European Commission (EC) budget and accounts for roughly 40% of total EC expenditure.

The CAP has the potential to affect developing countries in a variety of ways. The EU has recognised that making development policy in isolation is not sufficient. Its commitment to Policy Coherence for Development seeks to ensure that all policies, not only development assistance, promote growth in developing countries. 

This briefing paper analyses CAP reform options against development goals and finds that research is urgently needed to analyse the coherence between the reforms and European development policy. Research areas, including the various effects of CAP reform on developing countries, the EU internal policy process, the new global environment of high price levels and volatility, and the links between economic and environmental sustainability, set an agenda for ODI and other researchers in the coming months.