Cardwell, Michael --- "Stretching the Boundaries of Multifunctionality? An Evolving Common Agricultural Policy within the World Trade Legal Order" [2012] ELECD 123; in McMahon, A. Joseph; Desta, Geboye Melaku (eds), "Research Handbook on the WTO Agriculture Agreement" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: Research Handbook on the WTO Agriculture Agreement

Editor(s): McMahon, A. Joseph; Desta, Geboye Melaku

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848441163

Section: Chapter 11

Section Title: Stretching the Boundaries of Multifunctionality? An Evolving Common Agricultural Policy within the World Trade Legal Order

Author(s): Cardwell, Michael

Number of pages: 28

Extract:

11 Stretching the boundaries of
multifunctionality? An evolving Common
Agricultural Policy within the world trade
legal order
Michael Cardwell


I. INTRODUCTION
When the European Union (EU) commenced reform of the Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period post-2013, it became
immediately apparent that multifunctionality remained a part of the
`European Model of Agriculture': as stated by Commissioner Ciolos in Æ
Dublin on 1 October 2010, `a fundamental element' is that `agriculture
has a crucial multifunctional role for our territories' (Commission,
2010a). And when shortly thereafter the Commission issued its key
Communication, The CAP Towards 2020: Meeting the Food, Natural
Resources and Territorial Challenges of the Future (2010 Communica-
tion), there could be no doubt that the post-reform role for agriculture
would be far broader than the mere production of food and fibre
(Commission, 2010b). That said, while multifunctionality has arguably
remained a constant feature of EU agriculture, the importance
attached to it in policy terms would seem to vary and, moreover, its
precise attributes may be regarded as somewhat protean. For example,
the 2010 Communication highlights new, `non-productivist'
challenges, not least of these being climate change;1 yet, significantly,
in light of the further new challenge of ensuring food security, renewed
emphasis is accorded to the core activity of production itself.
Moreover, it is unequivocally declared that `the primary role of
agriculture is to supply food' (Commission, 2010b: 4).
This state of affairs may not perhaps be surprising, in light of
frequent reiteration by the EU institutions that ...