Assessment of Impacts of EU CAP on Agricultural Cooperatives in Bulgaria

H. BACHEV

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to assess the impact of EU CAP on agricultural cooperatives in Bulgaria. First, an assessment is made on the overall impacts from implementation of different instruments of EU CAP (common markets, market intervention, new standards, direct payments, support through the measures of National Plan for Agrarian and Rural Development, export subsidies etc.) on economic results and incomes, production and managerial efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability of cooperative farms with different size, specialization and geographical location. Next, an assessment is made on the specific impacts of major instruments of CAP (such as area based direct payments and national topups, individual measures of NPARD) on economic results and income, production and governance efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability of cooperatives. Third, factors for improvement of CAP impact on agricultural cooperatives in the country are identified. Finally, overall conclusions and recommendations are suggested concerning multiple impacts of CAP on cooperatives of different type, directions for improvement of public policies, and methods for evaluation of CAP effects. This study is based on expertise with leading national experts on farm structures and interviews with the managers of “representative” cooperative farms from different regions of the country.

Keywords: agrarian policies; Bulgaria; competitiveness; economic results; effects of EU CAP; efficiency; factors of CAP; income; sustainability of cooperatives

Date published: 2018-04-03