Three Decades of Agriculture and Agricultural Policy in a Country Comparison

The adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy in 1995 brought radical changes for the agricultural sectors and food industries in Austria, Finland, and Sweden. Until then, these countries had been largely cut off from the internal market and the world market by heavy intervention in the trade of agricultural goods and food, which created scope for national agricultural policies with different characteristics. Norway and Switzerland are closely intertwined with the EU in many policy areas (freedom of movement, trade policy), but they pursue their own paths in agricultural policy, and international trade in agricultural goods and food is subject to severe restrictions, even though both countries are also members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Key elements of EU agricultural policy reforms, such as the decoupling of payments from agricultural production and greening, have also been gradually introduced in Norway and Switzerland. However, the level of agricultural support is significantly higher in Norway and Switzerland. Given the considerable differences in foreign trade and agricultural policy, there are surprisingly large similarities in key indicators such as income and structural change in the countries under review.