Introduction

This chapter provides a critical overview of the agricultural policies of the European Community (EC) and United States (US), their stated objectives, their accomplishments, and their impact on both agricultural sectors. At the socio-economic level, confrontations between the US and the EC in the agricultural and food markets have emerged. The EC has emulated the US in terms of agricultural structure, raising levels of production and productivity, and is increasingly oriented toward the introduction of agricultural policies resembling those of the “American model.” Overproduction has been cited as an important reason for alterations of the present EC agricultural policy, which is characterized by a productivist posture. The EC situation is described as characterized by the supremacy of a small number of general trade unions which have gained hegemony through the endorsement of the EC agricultural policy. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.