DEVELOPMENT OF DAIRY SECTOR RELATED AGRICULTURAL POLICIES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION, THE WAY TO THE 2013 CAP REFORM.

The present article discusses the dairy sector related issues of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the European Union, being, for this purpose, one of the most important agricultural sub-sectors. The historic development of CAP demonstrates its protectionist nature from its origins; although its recent reforms seem to recognize growing market orientation. The CAP has been influenced by changing policy paradigms, whereas multifunctionality prevails and result in the exceptional treatment of agriculture. Public policy actors exercise significant influence on the development of CAP. Therefore, the post-2013 CAP projections are analyzed considering the different interests of dairy sector stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]