PAC, soutiens et revenus : réflexions sur certaines tendances à l'oeuvre

This article proposes an analysis of the evolution of support granted to European agriculture. In a first section, it deals with the question of measuring the different forms of support, using the method proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which makes it possible to take into account consumer's support (price support) and, on the other hand, a more strictly budgetary approach. These two approaches make it possible to emphasize that the modalities of support for European agriculture have considerably changed over the last two decades, mainly through a decline in the instruments for regulating markets and an increase in the use of decoupled payments. The second section discusses the more or less equitable distribution of direct aids between member states and farms. Finally, the last section focuses on the links between budget support and farm income. It raises questions about the effectiveness of the different agricultural income support instruments; income dependence on decoupled direct aids; the legitimacy to include in the CAP an objective and an instrument for supporting farm incomes.