Michel Petit, Associate Professor, CIHEAM, Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen, Montpellier at IAI-OCP international seminar on "Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in the Euro-Mediterranean Area", Rome – February 2, 2015

1. LIBERALIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL TRADE,
EUROPEAN AGRICULTURAL POLICY REFORM
AND MEDITERRANEAN CHALLENGES
Michel PETIT
petit@iamm.fr
IAI Seminar on « Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in the Euro-
Mediterranean Area », Rome, February 2, 2015

2. INTRODUCTION
• THE CHALLENGES FACED BY SOUTHERN
AND EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN
COUNTRIES (SEMCs) IN THE FIELD OF
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
ARE DAUNTING;
• DIFFICULT DOMESTIC POLICY REFORMS ARE
NEEDED;
• THE TRADE LIBERALIZATION DEBATE HAS
OVERSHADOWED OTHER IMPORTANT
POLICY CHOICES, BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND
IN TH EURO-MED RELATIONSHIP
• HENCE, THE TITLE IS RELEVANT!

3. DOMESTIC NEXUS OF PROBLEMS
• IMPORT DEPENDENCY
• RURAL POVERTY
• THREATS ON NATURAL RESOURCES
• WORRISOME DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS
=> CURRENT TRENDS AND
POLICIES ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE IN
SPITE OF PAST POLICY ACHIEVEMENTS

4. UNDUE EMPHASIS ON
TRADE LIBERALIZATION DEBATE
• IMPORTANT ISSUE IN DOMESTIC DEBATES ON
AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
• LINCHPIN OF THE BARCELONA PROCESS
• FREE TRADE AREA BY 2010
• DEEP AND COMPREHENSIVE TRADE
AGREEMENTS
• UTOPIAN GOAL FOR AGRICULTURE/
FRUSTRATIONS
• NEGLECT OF OTHER POTENTIAL
COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES

5. ACTUAL IMPACT OF LIBERALIZATION
• ON TRADE FLOWS AND FDI
• FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
• CEREALS
• ON RURAL POVERTY
• ALLEGED IMPACT IN TUNISIA
• OPEN QUESTION

6. IMPACT OF CAP REFORM
• VERY LITTLE ON MARKET ACCESS FOR
SEMCs IN CAP REFORM, NOTHING ON
CEREALS
• BILATERAL DCFTAs (eg MAROCCAN
TOMATOES)
• INTELLECTUAL IMPACT? (THE « TWO
PILLARS »)
=> MARGINALITY OF CAP IN A ‘GOOD’
NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY