Mind the CAP: Comparing policy ambition through two reforms processes of agricultural policy

Extensive political science literature discusses the ‘exceptionalism’ of agricultural policy in the EU due to the specific characteristics of the policy field and agrees that the CAP is characterized by high levels of public salience in Member States and by fundamental value disagreement about the purposes and nature of agricultural policy. This is particularly the case for major reforms in which both the CAP budget and its instruments can be profoundly changed. Our paper compares the last two – 2013 and 2020 – CAP reforms in regard to the green policy ambitions addressed. We combine three sources of data to provide a comprehensive assessment. First, we analyse environmental policy ambition in CAP reform across different stages of the EU legislative process by using an index of policy ambition that builds on novel coding scheme which combines the multidimensional characteristics of the Index of Policy Activity developed by Schaffrin et al. (2015), and the comparative coding of different stages adapted from Gravey and Jordan (2016). Second, we monitor changes in the composition of COMAGRI, the committee playing a pivotal role in the reform process. Finally, we analyse roll call votes cast in European Parliament regarding both reforms. Our contribution will provide insights into the differences between the two reforms, the role of different actors in the reform process and the relevance of structural changes in the European Union, resulting from the strengthening of populist parties.