ABSTRACT
The central issue in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations on agriculture was the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The defence of the CAP was the Community's position again in the Uruguay Round, but the processes of agricultural reform inside the Community and internationally became inextricably linked. This chapter begins by identifying the most important elements of earlier GATT negotiations on agriculture in which the Community participated. It serves as the historical background to the Commission's role with regard to the Uruguay Round. The chapter examines the main European Commission (EC) decisions in the run-up to the Uruguay Round in terms of the supranationalist and intergovernmentalist ideal types, which sets the scene for a closer examination of the role of the Commission in the decision-making process. Uncertainty about the future, and about the sensitive nature of the issues in agriculture and trade, provided room for politicization.
