The Interrelationship Between Agricultural and Competition Law

In the last two decades, the common agricultural policy (CAP) has been moving its main area from direct market interventions to direct payments. As these changes have disclosed highly asymmetrical bargaining power of different stakeholders in the agrifood chain, the proposed legal acts aknowledge greater importance to producers' organisations. However, agreements, decisions and concerted practices of undertakings and their associations are subject also to the competition law. The paper analyses the recent developments of competition law in EU with regard to the agricultural producers' organisations. As competition aspects will play a greater role in the future CAP, more conflicts between the general (agricultural) policy support to producers' organisations and individual provisions of competition law provisions may be expected.