Files
Abstract
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform of 2014-2020 is characterized
by a strong mandate of Member States regarding the 1st Pillar. This paper’s
objective is to elucidate the possible impacts of Italian choices on direct payments and
their coherence with the specific objectives of the CAP, which was established by the
Expert Group on Monitoring and Evaluating the CAP (EGMEC): food security and
sustainable food production. Thus, an online survey was disseminated among Italian
CAP experts in the spring of 2015. The results from a sample of 25 respondents
show that Italian direct payments may positively contribute to viable food production
by improving agricultural competitiveness. In addition, the combined effect of general
direct payment schemes and Italian choices is to ensure sustainable food provision or,
at least, to successfully allow the exploration of this new route in CAP history, which
most likely represents future challenge for European agriculture.