International law and international relations cheek to cheek: An il/ir perspective on the Uruguay round negotiations on agriculture

One of the most salient features of the creation of the European Community was the establishment of a Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for all Member States.' Over the years, it proved to be the most integrated and consistent of all the common policies. While the establishment of a common commercial policy in other areas presents a poor record, with regard to agriculture not only is there a real common commercial policy, but for many years there was also a reasonable degree of cohesion among Member States. The importance of agriculture for the European Community is readily understood by looking at the official journals and the annual budgets: between two-thirds and three quarters of the legal acts published deal with agriculture, which takes nearly three quarters of the whole budget.' The CAP has had dramatic success in increasing agricultural productivity and assuring the availability of supplies. While in the 1960s Europe was basically a food importer, today the European Community is the second largest exporter of farm products in the world. The scheme based on the use of variable levies to prevent imports and export refunds to foster exports proved to be very successful for the Community at a time when the European Community was a net importer of farm products.