The highly controversial agricultural policy of the EU needs to be reformed. The debate over a new concept for its Common Agricultural Policy is in full swing. However, aspects regarding global impacts and international challenges are not given due consideration.

It is not nearly enough to conduct a compatibility test with the WTO rules. Nowadays, the EU is the world's largest importer and exporter of agricultural goods, with several commodity flows being policy-induced. It is inevitable that changes in EU agricultural policy are going to have an impact on our trade partners. The developing countries will be particularly affected. Here, the EU has to accept its international responsibility. 

Particularly explosive issues in this context include the role of EU agricultural exports, the extent of land-grabbing overseas, setting standards that amount to technical trade obstacles and the aspect of agricultural subsidies in times of high agricultural prices.

Rudolf Buntzel
Consultant for World Food Matters of the Protestant Church Development Service (EED)
Berlin, Germany
Rudolf.Buntzel@eed.de