Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

At present, European agriculture must face new situations derived from future enlargement, the globalization of the economy or the requirements of consumers. These changes are not only going to affect the agricultural markets but will have special relevancy in the economies of the rural zones of the European Union, because the evolution of the agricultural sector is closely linked to the balanced development of the rural territory that represents 80% of the territory in the Union and more than 50% of the population. Turned into the second pillar of the CAP, the new rural development policy, as an essential part of the European agricultural model, proposes to establish a coherent and sustainable frame that guarantees the future of the rural zones and contributes to the maintenance and creation of employment. The new proposals postulate converting the CAP into a rural development policy. Nevertheless, there are few analyses that have deeply studied the effects of the CAP in terms of convergence in the European regional territory. This is, therefore, the objective that is pursued with this report.