ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a discussion on "The US.-E.C. Confrontation in the GATT from a US Perspective: What Did We Learn?" by Lisa Hardy-Bass. At a very broad level, it is not difficult to find similarities in the way the E.C. and the United States handle agricultural problems. As far as farm structure is concerned, there are important differences in the average farm size and in the number of workers involved in agriculture. Even if both E.C. and US agricultural policies are coupled, the US deficiency payments and the E.C. price support have very different implications in terms of trade policy instruments. Regarding the lack of a hegemonic country, the major problem is the US uncertainty about their present role: sometimes they claim that the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) should be strengthened and multilateral solutions are needed.
