Regionalization in European Agricultural Policy: Institutional Actualities, Issues and Prospects

Abstract

Trouvé A. and Berriet-Solliec M. Regionalization in European agricultural policy: institutional actualities, issues and prospects, Regional Studies. Europe's regions are having more say in agricultural policy, which has historically been managed at national and European levels. In this context, the balance of power with other tiers of government may be a driving force behind (or a constraint on) change, bringing about (or preventing) institutional innovation. The power balance depends especially on the different strategies implemented by the regions with regard to other tiers of government. This paper is based on French ‘regulation theory’ and on the authors' own field investigations in eight regions of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Trouvé A. et Berriet-Solliec M. La régionalisation de la politique agricole européenne: des actualités institutionnelles, des questions à poser et des perspectives d'avenir, Regional Studies. Les régions d'Europe ont davantage leur mot à dire sur la politique agricole, dirigée historiquement à l'échelle nationale et sur le plan européenne. Dans ce contexte, l'équilibre des pouvoirs par rapport aux autres niveaux d'administration pourrait s'avérer la force motrice du changement (ou bien la contrainte), ce qui pourrait entraîner (ou bien empêcher) l'innovation institutionnelle. L'équilibre des pouvoirs dépend essentiellement des différentes stratégies menées par les régions pour ce qui est des autres niveaux d'administration. Cet article est fondé sur la ‘théorie de la réglementation’ et sur des études originelles conduites en huit régions de la France, de l'Allemagne et du Royaume-Uni.

Régions européennes Politiques agricoles Innovations institutionnelles Théorie française de la réglementation

Trouvé A. und Berriet-Solliec M. Regionalisierung in der europäischen Agrarpolitik: die momentane Lage, Probleme und Aussichten der Institutionen, Regional Studies. In der Agrarpolitik, die bisher auf nationaler und europäischer Ebene verwaltet wurde, erhalten die europäischen Regionen ein größeres Mitspracherecht. In diesem Kontext kann sich das Gleichgewicht der Kräfte in anderen Regierungsebenen als treibende Kraft (oder als Hindernis) für Veränderungen erweisen, die zu institutioneller Innovation führt (oder sie verhindert). Das Kräftegleichgewicht hängt vor allem von den verschiedenen Strategien ab, die von den Regionen hinsichtlich der anderen Regierungsebenen umgesetzt werden. Grundlage dieses Beitrags bilden die französische ‘Regulationstheorie’ und unsere eigenen Feldforschungen in acht Regionen von Frankreich, Deutschland und Großbritannien.

Europäische Regionen Agrarpolitiken Institutionelle Innovationen Französische Regulationstheorie

Trouvé A. y Berriet-Solliec M. Regionalización en la política agrícola europea: situación actual, problemas y perspectivas institucionales, Regional Studies. Las regiones europeas tienen más derecho a intervenir en la política agrícola, que hasta ahora ha sido gestionada a nivel nacional y europeo. En este contexto, el equilibrio de poder con otros niveles de gobierno podría constituir una fuerza motriz (o un obstáculo) para el cambio que cause (o evite) una innovación institucional. El equilibrio de poderes depende especialmente de las diferentes estrategias desarrolladas por las regiones con respecto a otros niveles de gobierno. Este artículo se basa en la ‘teoría de regulación’ francesa y en nuestras propias investigaciones de campo en ocho regiones de Francia, Alemania y el Reino Unido.

Regiones europeas Políticas agrícolas Innovaciones institucionales Teoría francesa de regulación

Keywords:

• European regions
• Agricultural policies
• Institutional innovations
• French theory of regulation

JEL classifications:

• B52
• H70
• Q18
• R50

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the respondents in the agricultural and rural development bodies who gave their time to be interviewed. The authors would also like to acknowledge the Centre of Rural Economy of Newcastle, and the environmental and agricultural ministry of Hesse: they hosted for several months one of the co-authors during her PhD study; and for the interviews that took place in the UK and in Germany. The views represented in this paper are those of its authors alone.

Notes

Consolidated regional agricultural spending includes possible national and European co-financing. In this case, the regions retain some room for manoeuvre when guiding and implementing co-financed measures.

French legislation of March 2003 inserts revisions into the Constitution in recognition of the decentralized nature of France. For example, a local authority may volunteer to test specific policies (Delcamp and Tulard, 2003). Legislation of August 2004 defines more precisely the transfer and distribution of powers between the various local levels of government. It aims to reinforce the powers of regions, especially with regard to economic development, land settlement, and vocational training.

For example, the SPD-Grünen federal government at the beginning of the present decade chose to co-finance agro-environmental measures not just to the 60%, but to the 80% level. This led some Länder to give a clear preference to these measures; they then cut back on them when the co-financing returned to 60%.

The ERDP is the England Rural Development Programme. The MAFF is the former British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which became part of the new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in 2001.

Thus, for example, the Association des Régions de France, which considers the European Union as its ally, supports the increase in the European budget.

The Salzburg Conference (2003) was a follow-up to the Cork Conference on Rural Development (1996). Bringing together stakeholders in rural development within the European Union, it dealt with new challenges of the European rural policy within an enlarged European Union.

Thus, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are often represented in the delegations invited by the British Secretary of State. They consistently attend meetings before European agricultural council meetings and some direct links exist between civil servants of the European Union and of the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland executives (Ward and Lowe, 2002; House of Lords, 2002a).

This mechanism means the transfer of a percentage of the national budget from the first pillar to the second pillar.

Thus, commissions (named CDOA) were created in 1995 at the level of the départements to participate in the policy orientation of agricultural bodies, and then in 1999 to participate in the implementation of the Contrats Territoriaux d'Exploitation under the second pillar. Moreover, the legislation of February 2005 on the development of rural territories gives extra control to the départements for land management.